


You've got to be Kitten me!

by Gōng Lì Yǎ (Potchans)



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: A LOT OF CAT PUNS, Also I mentioned She Li as one of the characters but he's only mentioned, Because you've been warned, Beware, Blowjobs, But I did the thing where Guan Shan is naked (not fully though) and He Tian is clothed again, But she's nothing like a third person on a love triangle or anything, Cat Puns, Fluff, Funny, Guan Shan gets turned into a cat, Guan Shan is not a people cat, Guan Shan will scratch the hell outta anyone who tries to pick him up, He Tian is confused with the situation, Heartwarming, I mean, I mean it has witchcraft, I was wondering if I should tag this as supernatural, I won't tag the other thing cause it's a spoiler, I'm nothing without you all, If you don't like puns, Kinky stuff, M/M, Now for the smut tags, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Out of Character, She's a little bitch though, Silver boi actually doesn't appear in the fanfic, Some fingering but it's super fast because of reasons, Supernatural Elements, The grand come back of Kitty!Shan - The Kinky Version, Witchcraft is supernatural right?, and I couldn't make Xiao Hui the bitch because I like her, because I can't make my bois be happy that fast, bitter epilogue, bottom Guan Shan, by the way if you want to read and don't really like smut, eventual angst, god I hate love triangles, it was supposed to be cute and fluffy, it's not because Guan Shan is human that the puns will stop, just don't read chapter 11, no regrets whatsoever, or at least read the ending of chapter 11 because it is kinda important to understand chapter 12, please don't hate on me, she's just a bitch because I needed a bitch, thank you all for reading commenting and leaving kudos, the last chapter was posted, the puns will never stop, the shenanigans of a paw boi - this is like the other title, top He Tian, with a side of funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-07-03 19:01:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15825015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potchans/pseuds/G%C5%8Dng%20L%C3%AC%20Y%C7%8E
Summary: After being obliged to eat cookies he didn't want to, Guan Shan gets turned into a cat.To his demeowse, the purrson who ends up taking care of him, is none other than He Tian.Rating changed to Explicit because of Chapter 11. If you don't like smut, just read the beginning and the end of Chapter 11, since the things there are important for Chapter 12.





	1. Prologue: This is Un-cat-fur-a-bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being obliged to eat cookies he didn't want to, Guan Shan gets turned into a cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is dedicated to a dear friend, @lostleaves on tumblr.
> 
> When I first told her this idea that I had of turning Guan Shan into a cat and making He Tian take care of hit cat-sona, she got excited and basically made me quit any other multi-chapter fanfic I had queued to start this one.
> 
> So here we have it, the prologue.
> 
> I hope you guys like it.
> 
> Teen and Up Audiences for now, I might change the rating as the fanfiction goes.
> 
> Enjoy the pun ride~
> 
> Q.: What did the cat say when he went bankrupt?

Guan Shan’s morning went by just like any other. Between waking up late, riding his bike as fast as he could to school, dodging He Tian’s clingy ass, trying not to punch Jian Yi across the nose and cursing at any poor being crossing his path, just the typical, Guan Shan felt like it was the usual deal.

The weird turn was taken when, at lunchtime, a girl approached Guan Shan, telling him she had made him cookies, and would love if he ate them. Guan Shan tried denying once, twice, ten times, but every single time he saw himself free from the grasp of the girl, she would corner him once more. And at some point, probably, she got tired of this cat and mouse game – _all the puns intended_.

That led to Guan Shan’s current situation.

He was sitting on the floor, back pressed against the hallway wall. The girl in question was kneeling, straddling his hips while her right hand had a strong grip on his cheeks, pressing her index and thumb until Guan Shan’s mouth gave in and opened. She finished by grabbing one of the cookies she had – _lovingly? You sure about that?_ – baked for Guan Shan and crumbling it to tiny pieces, only to stuff Guan Shan’s mouth with them right afterwards.

“Swallow.” Said the girl, a menacing tone that once He Tian had used against him, but was now long forgotten. Something deep inside of Guan Shan told him that no matter what he did, he shouldn’t swallow. “Swallow before I make you.”

With a shiver running down his spine, Guan Shan gulped, taking at least ten seconds to realize the gulping motion had made him swallow the cookie crumbles. Trying to ignore the countless puns his brain thought – _You are hanging out with those fools way too much_ –, Guan Shan saw the girl smile brightly and stand up, looking like she wasn’t the terrifying being threatening him just a minute prior.

“Good boy.” And just like that, she was gone.

Guan Shan had a really bad time trying to assimilate what had just happened, not really sure about who the hell was that girl, how could she change personas so fast and why the _fuck_ she had – _pinned you to submission_ – made him eat those damn cookies. However, he also didn’t have enough time to dwell on it, as the bell announcing the afternoon classes had already rang and Guan Shan had to go back to class.

* * *

It was only after putting the last broom inside the broom closet and closing it, that Guan Shan felt something strange. His head felt, at the same time, the lightest and the heaviest it had ever felt, and while the world seemed to spin two hundred times faster around his head, Guan Shan noticed everything seemed to be getting larger.

No.

He was getting smaller.

Fighting his brain not to give up to the dizziness and faint, Guan Shan went through the whole trip, and when all the weird feelings stopped, he could finally take a deep breath and look around.

Only that breathing suddenly felt really hard, and there was an itch behind his ear and when he went to scratch it he noticed he didn’t use his hands to do it, but rather a very furry paw. A ginger furry paw.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Was what he tried to scream, but all that left his mouth was a very threatening hiss.

Furry paw.

Hiss.

Guan Shan gulped and looked around, noticing the desks and chairs in the classroom looked at least five times bigger than usual, and that he was sitting on a pool of clothes. His clothes. And to complete the madness, his body was now a small, ginger, furry body that belonged to nothing else but a cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: I feel so paw!
> 
> Got it? AHAHHA, my sense of humor is really dumb, I'm sorry.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked it~
> 
> Just remembering that after the prologue we're having 8 chapters (4 chapters per arc, the first arc being Kitty!Shan and the second arc being #NoFilter), one epilogue and two extras (in which the first extra is probably gonna be smut, since Cat-harina requested it), even though the final rating is going to be explicit, I'll only effectively change it when it's needed.
> 
> Pops' Out~


	2. 01 - Out of a Fairy Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitty!Shan is hangry and needs to find food and shelter, so he goes to the most obvious place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I'm alive!
> 
> Now onto the chapter, I hope you all like it~
> 
> Q.: What do you get if you cross a cat with Father Christmas?

Guan Shan’s ears flattened on his head as he thought about his next move. He looked at his chair, wondering if it would be difficult for him to jump on it. This, now that he considered it, was an incredible dumb thought, as he had seen cats of all sizes being able to jump way higher than that.

So, ignoring the fact that his butt moved from one side to the other as he prepared himself, he jumped on it, and then on his desk right afterwards. After seeing the world from a higher perspective, Guan Shan noticed that the chairs and desks weren’t as big as he thought they were, and that looking at the floor from above gave him a tad feeling of superiority.

That didn’t last long, however. Two students barged into the room, looking at Guan Shan – at a cat – with a curious surprise. Guan Shan, being the usual people-person being of always, didn’t even think twice before he bolted out of the desk, jumping from one to the other as the two students tried to grab him. Soon he was running out of the classroom, his little legs taking him downstairs, into the courtyard.

If he thought the classroom was bad, Guan Shan surely wasn’t prepared to what he faced once he was in the court. All of the students who were on cleaning duty had apparently finished at the same time, which caused them all to leave the school building together. Guan Shan looked to the dozens of kids leaving the building, and with a shiver and fur spiking, he ran to the back of the building.

When he finally saw himself free from all of those people, Guan Shan stopped to catch his breath. He had already noticed it was hard for him to breathe, and running around as much as he had just done, wasn’t helping him much. While lowering his heart rate, Guan Shan looked around, pondering how he could leave school grounds without risking being squished to death, and also where he should go next.

The first thing that hit him was the fact he was a cat. That meant Guan Shan had an advantage regarding grounds over other animals, humans included. He just needed to find a tree that was close enough to one of the school’s outer walls, and then he could just walk around from wall to wall, maybe he could even get to roofs. Place, though, was a trickier question to answer.

Of course, the first place he thought about was his own house. Guan Shan knew his mother was a sweet person and she wouldn’t deny food and shelter to a homeless animal, at least for a day. However, Guan Shan also knew his mother was allergic to cats, and he could tell from the little he could see that his fur was rather long, which meant bad news to his mother’s health.

Still, if he stayed away, maybe he could get his mom to give him some food and maybe even some old clothes to snuggle and try to sleep.

Guan Shan didn’t have much time to think about his plan, as he felt a presence coming from behind. Getting up in a rush a turning his head around, Guan Shan saw the school’s security guard coming full speed at him, while holding a broom. It didn’t take a genius to notice the guard’s true intentions with that broom, but Guan Shan was still tired and breathless, making his movements much slower than he wanted to.

The first blow hit his side, and the sharp pain was enough to make Guan Shan flee from the security guard’s sight as soon as he could. At least luck was on his side – for the first time that day – and he saw a tree he could climb to get to the wall.

Once he was high enough on the tree that the guard couldn’t reach him, Guan Shan felt his whole body tremble while he hissed, mad not even beginning to explain how he was feeling at that moment. Yet, Guan Shan couldn’t waste any more time.

His cat belly was grumbling and his small limbs hurt, so he soon let the guard to his own devices and left the school, walking on top of the walls. It took a few moments for Guan Shan to acknowledge where he was exactly, but once he did, he started walking towards the direction he was sure his house was.

But, to Guan Shan’s demise, his cat adventure was apparently far from finished.

A loud bark startled him, and before he could catch what was happening, Guan Shan had already lost his balance and was falling. He hit the ground standing on his four legs – thank god for cat reflexes, quite literally – and before he could locate anything, he heard a growl coming from behind.

Of fucking course it had to be a dog. And not any dog, but the motherfucking dog he had saved from being run over the other day. “ _Ungrateful bitch! I fucking saved you!_ ” But as Guan Shan expected, all that came out his little mouth were hisses. And, unfortunately, the hisses only made the dog angrier, which made his growl go back to barking as he moved towards Guan Shan.

“ _Ah, today is not my day._ ” Guan Shan cursed inwardly, preparing to bolt before the dog could start running.

The dog was fast, but Guan Shan was faster. He didn’t know if it was due the fact he was fast as a human and it was mirrored to his cat-sona, or if it was due the fact he was a cat. Maybe it was because of both, even, not that it really mattered. What mattered was that he had to find a place to climb as soon as possible, since his breathing was already giving him trouble.

Turning in an alley, Guan Shan saw a few garbage cans, and before thinking even once, he darted there and jumped from one to the other, getting on top of the wall in no time. When the dog finally caught up to him, Guan Shan was lying on the wall, looking at the barking dog from above, with what could be considered a smug expression. “ _You caught me off guard the first time, bitch, that won’t happen again._ ”

After resting for a while – damn his notion of time was fucked up – Guan Shan started moving once more, now making his way to his home while aware of his surroundings, as he really didn’t want the previous events from that same day to be repeated. The rest of his way to the small apartment building was done without anything exciting happening, and Guan Shan was low-key grateful for that. Even though he had that delinquent fame, Guan Shan wasn’t really the kind of person who liked this sort of attention – especially after _that_ fight.

Note to self: never mess with loansharks ever again.

Guan Shan jumped on the floor and made his way towards the stairs, climbing them until he was on the second floor. He then stood in front of his home, pondering his options to get his mother’s attention. It was a fact he had to be as loud as he could, so he settled with meowing his lungs out while pawing the door with both of his front paws. Guan Shan decided to ignore the fact that he could also get the neighbor’s attention.

Minutes later – was it minutes? – Guan Shan’s mother opened the door, and he looked up to meet her confused gaze with his… He wondered what color his eyes were. But well, eye colors aside, Guan Shan’s mom was right in front of him, so it was time to act. So Guan Shan meowed, trying his best to melt his mother’s heart with his kitty eyes as his left paw touched her feet lightly. Guan Shan knew about the allergy, so he tried his best to not get too close.

Her expression softened as she looked down at the begging cat, and Guan Shan felt proud of his abilities, doubtful that he would be able to melt his mother’s heart in usual circumstances. She muttered something to herself, which Guan Shan couldn’t quite understand, and turned around. So Guan Shan, being the good cat that he was, and repeating the fact that his mom was allergic to him like a mantra, stayed at the door, waiting as patiently as he could.

A few seconds later she came back. Her right hand carried a small bowl, while her left hand carried a carton of milk. With his mother way closer than before, Guan Shan could start to pick up the things she was saying, such as questions to herself about cats actually drinking milk, or if she had any leftover canned tuna somewhere in the house. Guan Shan knew better than anyone that they didn’t, so he just settled with drinking milk for the moment.

Apparently, it wasn’t only his appearance that changed. After the very first sip, gulp, whatever the verb cats use when they drink stuff is, Guan Shan noticed milk tasted much better than when he was human. When before he used to think milk had a rather bland taste, and that it needed chocolate or coffee to be drinkable, this milk he was drinking at that moment just tasted like heaven. It was so good that he barely saw that he had finished the first bowl and his mom was pouring him a second.

Damn, he was hungry.

Two bowls and a half later, Guan Shan felt like his small stomach was about to explode, so he meowed as sweetly as he could, in a ‘mute’ plead for his mom to let him stay. He would be lying if he said his heart didn’t drop when he saw his mother making that heartbroken expression, explaining to him in a childish voice that she couldn’t let him stay, at least not until her son arrived. Guan Shan, better than anyone, knew her son wouldn’t arrive, so he just flattened his ears and turned around, giving his mom a last thanking meow and making his way downstairs.

Guan Shan inwardly thanked no one for the fact that he wasn’t shooed away at the apartment building, which could be only based on sheer luck, as he had been a noisy kitty. All of his thankfulness was about to just drip down a drain, though, as when he finally hit the streets, he was graced by a large pair of legs stopping right in front of him, blocking his passage.

Then you may think: Guan Shan is a cat, and cats are naturally nimbler and he could just run through the gap between their feet and bolt the hell out from there, right? And yes, he could. Not only could, he did. But not before looking up and seeing those big and round mischievous eyes looking down on and at him, with a mad smirk plastered on _her_ face.

“ _Damn witch_!” Guan Shan thought, holding down a hiss before running away.

His escapade, however, wasn’t nearly as graceful or effective as he first planned.

Guan Shan was almost stomped by a couple walking down the street, went head first on a vending machine when turning on a corner, fell on a puddle he hadn’t even seen it was there when he jumped from the sidewalk to the street, and all of that only to be cornered by the girl once more when he reached a dead-end alleyway, with no dumpsters or boxes to jump on and try to get to the other side of the wall.

“I’m done playing cat and mouse, Guan Shan.” The girl sighed, looking genuinely tired. “Come with me and I’ll give you shelter.” She added. “I’m pretty sure that at this right moment I’m your best bet, aren’t I?”

She was right, but Guan Shan would never say it out loud. Meow it out loud. You get it.

“Come on, we both know your mom is allergic, and it’s not like your pride will let you ask shelter to any of your friends, will it? Just think about it, Guan Shan, you could end up in an animal shelter.” Her mad smirk turned terrifying. “And you do know some shelters are not that nice, right?”

“ _Damn_.” He thought, his nails scratching the cement below his paws. “ _She has a fucking damned point_.”

“Meow once for yes, run away for no. This time I won’t interfere with your fleeing.” She said. “Are you coming with me?”

Guan Shan meowed once, his tone loud enough for her to hear, but still quite low. And then he saw her getting a yellow towel from her purse, picking his small and dirty body up. His first thought once she had him on her arms was how warm and cozy it felt, and before Guan Shan’s animal instinct could kick in, he had fallen asleep.

Maybe everything was just a nightmare, maybe things would get better when he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: Santa Claws!
> 
> I hope it was worth the wait!
> 
> And I'm sorry for taking so long to finally make Guan Shan gets to He Tian's, I swear stuff is gonna move faster and smoother once it happens.
> 
> Chapter 2 is already halfway done, so I think I won't take that long to update.
> 
> See ya next chapter!
> 
> Pops' out~


	3. 02 - Just end my Suffurring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guan Shan wakes up at He Tian's, chaos ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back, and super fast!
> 
> What can I do, I had the chapter done and I NEEDED to post it.
> 
> I also love fast updates, so why not spoil my beautiful readers with one once in a blue moon?
> 
> I hope you all like it~
> 
> Q.: What kind of sports car does a cat drive?

Things did NOT get better when he woke up.

The first thing Guan Shan did when he woke up was yawn and stretch. Still with his round cat eyes closed he opened his mouth and stretched his limbs, pawing at the soft fabric of the towel he was sleeping on. It took a few minutes for his brain to catch up, but soon he realized he wasn’t on someone’s arms anymore, instead he was on a very comfortable surface.

He opened his eyes slowly, letting his pupils adjust to the bright room he was in as he slowly started to make outline of furniture and the place he was in. Once it kicked in, however, Guan Shan’s eyes widened and he hissed in reflex, because he knew exactly where he was at, and that was the very last place he wanted to be.

“ _That damn witch told me she would take me to her house, so what the fuck am I doing at_ his _house?_ ” His introspection didn’t last long, though, as a huge shadow covered his body.

“Oh, you’re finally awake.” The shadow – it’s fucking He Tian, of course it’s fucking He Tian – mumbled, more to himself than to Guan Shan. “Hard thing is that you’re filthy, but cats usually hate water, but still, you are extremely dirty.”

He Tian kept on contemplating his options while Guan Shan’s brain slowly understood where he was going. The thing is, human Guan Shan wouldn’t mind a shower. He absolutely loved the feeling of being clean and smelling good. But he wasn’t human Guan Shan, he wasn’t at his house and he most definitely didn’t want He Tian to be touching him all over.

So Guan Shan did what his animal instincts told him to, and jumped out of the couch and onto the wooden floor, running to the place he felt the safest at He Tian’s: the kitchen. The kitchen, though, was almost a dead end, so he passed under He Tian’s legs and made his way back to the living room, trying his best to tire He Tian until he would simply give up on the idea.

“God you’re much nicer when you’re sleeping.” He Tian hissed under his breath, making Guan Shan stay still for a second processing the information.

He had slept on the girl’s arms, but had woken up on He Tian’s couch. The last thing he saw before falling asleep as the pavement of his street, and the first thing he saw when he woke up was He Tian’s wooden floor.

That could only mean one thing: The girl had given him to He Tian at some point while he was taking a nap.

Why, though?

She knew Guan Shan didn’t want to trouble any of his friends, and it didn’t matter how much Guan Shan denied it, He Tian was by far the closest one to him, and therefore the one he wanted to bother the least – maybe the fact that Guan Shan was low-key dead afraid of He Tian played some part in it, but details. So, in Guan Shan’s small and messy kitty brain, this whole situation didn’t make any sense.

Sense or nonsense, Guan Shan was still filthy and the feeling of his fur being held together by dirt wasn’t the least pleasant. Which lead him to think how cats were usually the ones who bathed themselves, which lead him to think he wouldn’t put his tongue on that fur not even under threat, which lead him to acknowledge He Tian’s bath ‘offer’ was by far his best shot of feeling clean.

So, at some point, Guan Shan stopped running and waited for He Tian to get closer to him. Of course, he didn’t lose the opportunity of having He Tian carry him to scratch the hell out of his hand, as well as his wrists and arms. He even managed to sneak a scratch on He Tian’s left cheek while He Tian oh-so calmly cleaned his fur with a soft smelling soap.

Countless minutes later the worst part of the torture was finally over, or so Guan Shan thought.

After having He Tian rinse the last of the soap coating his fur, taking his filth down the bathtub’s drain, Guan Shan hoped the next thing He Tian would do was dry him with a towel, and then leave Guan Shan to his own devices. The thing was that Guan Shan was only partially right.

Yes, He Tian did pick him up with a fresh towel and dried Guan Shan’s fur the best he could, however Guan Shan’s fur was way too long to be fully dried with just being toweled. Because of that, Guan Shan barely had the time to look at his reflection on the mirror – He Tian had put him on the sink – and see he was a ginger Persian cat with huge yellow eyes and a nose buried in his skull – now it made sense why he had trouble breathing – before he saw He Tian’s hand holding a blow-dryer.

And curse He Tian’s strength because oh Guan Shan **did** squirm and scratch all he could when he felt that unpleasant way-too-hot air being blown right on his soft and delicate fur – and did he just think that? God, this nightmare needs to end before Guan Shan actually gets used to the fact that he is a cat and He Tian is taking care of him – but it still didn’t matter, since He Tian didn’t even bulge.

When his fur was – fucking finally – dry, He Tian let him go, which made Guan Shan run away from the bathroom and hide under the bed as fast as he could, inwardly praying for He Tian not to have seen where he had gone to. Last thing he wanted was to have He Tian finding him and trying to pick him up. Or even worse, trying to **pet** him. Nightmare or reality, it didn’t matter, Guan Shan would rather die than let He Tian – of all people – pet him.

If He Tian had seen where he was at, or was even looking for him in case his hidden spot was still safe, Guan Shan didn’t know. He didn’t hear He Tian mumbling anything to himself, nor weird step patterns. The only thing Guan Shan hear was the microwave’s door opening, then closing, then a few beeping sounds, then the sound of the microwave running. And then, a couple of minutes of silence later, the annoying beeping that announced whatever He Tian had put inside the microwave, was finally done.

By the divine smell Guan Shan’s nose picked up, he was sure He Tian had gotten sweet sauce pork for dinner, maybe with some fried veggies on the side and some rice as well, but those he couldn’t be sure as the sweet smell was overwriting the others. It was then that Guan Shan realized his smelling sense had been improved, and even though he was rather far from the kitchen, he could smell He Tian’s food as if it was right beside him.

That also lead Guan Shan to the unsatisfying realization that he was, once again, hungry. However, it didn’t matter how hungry Guan Shan was, it wasn’t like he would just strip from the last of his pride and go running to He Tian to ask for food. Not in a million years. Come on, he had already let He Tian bathe him, it was enough humiliation for a whole century.

“Oi, kitty-cat?” He Tian started calling him, still Guan Shan decided to just ignore both the calls and the shivers he felt running down his spine. “I should give him a name, huh, it’s weird calling him kitty-cat.”

“ _No shit._ ” Guan Shan thought, hiding his face on his paws. “ _If he chooses anything weird, I’m not responding_.” He added to the chain, partially ignoring the fact that he was actually considering answering to He Tian.

“I have food.” He Tian’s voice echoed once again through the mostly empty loft, and Guan Shan could hear the faint sound of something sliding on something, which made him guess it was the meat and sauce sliding on the plastic plate. “Aren’t you hungry?” And oh, how was Guan Shan sad he couldn’t laugh, because seeing He Tian talk to an animal was a funny sight.

After a few minutes calling, He Tian seemingly gave up, setting the plastic plate somewhere in the living room, as Guan Shan’s sharp ears had picked up. Still, it was only many minutes later that Guan Shan left his hiding spot and followed the sweet and inviting smell, finding a few pork cubes coated by sweet sauce sitting on a plate by the couch – where He Tian was sitting.

Guan Shan ignored He Tian’s way too big body and passed by him, stopping by the plate and sniffing the sauce closer. Yep, still indecently good smelling. And also heavenly tasting, as he concluded once he bit onto the first cube. One cube became two and then three, and before Guan Shan could even realize he was almost through the whole plate.

What was funny – not that Guan Shan noticed at first, because he didn’t – was the fact that He Tian had stopped whatever he was doing on his phone and decided it was better to just observe Guan Shan eating. Guan Shan, on the other hand, only noticed he was being watched when he felt the heat of a hand getting too close to his personal space, slender fingers trying to reach behind his – now – flattened ears.

And before He Tian could actually touch his head, Guan Shan turned around and hissed, raising his tail as his fur spiked, showing He Tian all of his teeth in a clear war declaration.

“I should call you _Mister Don’t Touch Me_ , but that’s way too long.” He Tian mumbled as Guan Shan turned his head back to the plate, determined to lick the remains of the sauce. “Oh!” He Tian then exclaimed, which fueled Guan Shan’s curiosity and made him look at He Tian again, finding him with an amused expression. “You’re a red ball of fluff, do you know who else is a red ball of fluff?”

Guan Shan did know, but He Tian wouldn’t dare? Would he?

“Mo Guan Shan!” He Tian completed the thought by laughing, making Guan Shan’s fur spike a second time. “Oh he would kill me if he had known I named a cat after him.” He Tian kept on laughing and it began to feel way out of character – Guan Shan was afraid, but just slightly. “But come on, look at you! You look so angry, just like him!”

“ _That fucker sure loves making fun of me, huh_.” Guan Shan shook his little head and jumped on the couch, scratching He Tian’s hand in an attempt of making him stop laughing.

“Ouch.” He Tian retreat his hands, not laughing anymore. “You don’t like it and Don’t Close Mountain surely won’t like it either, but I am calling you Little Mo and there’s nothing you can do to make me not do that.”

“ _Challenge accepted._ ” Guan Shan hissed as he jumped, trying to claw at He Tian’s forehead and nose.

It was all going great, he managed to give He Tian a fresh scratch on the chin, but as he tried to reach for his eyes – _I’m gonna blind this bastard_ – he suddenly felt all of his limbs going limp like jelly. It was like he was one of those wooden dolls, that if you press the right tension point, they just lose balance and fall. But Guan Shan hadn’t fall, no, he was being carried.

Two seconds. That was how long it took for Guan Shan to realized He Tian had grabbed the back of his neck and was carrying him like a cat-mom carries her kittens.

“Little Mo, you should stop being like your counterpart, he is too violent. You’re such a cute cat, act like one buddy.” He Tian smiled and placed Guan Shan on the couch, leaving him alone right afterwards. “Tch, now I have to clean those new scratches... Damn cat.”

Feeling proud of his accomplishments, Guan Shan pawed the couch, trying to make it more comfortable, and laid down curled to a ball, feeling the warm wraps of sleep to revolve around his body and drag him to sandman’s lair. Maybe sleeping – again – would make him wake up from this nightmare.

It most certainly didn’t.

When Guan Shan woke up he was still lying on He Tian’s couch, he was still small and furry and he was most definitely still a cat.

“ _God damn it!_ ” He huffed, which actually sounded more like a sneeze, and stretched, also giving up to the yawn forming on his throat.

Looking around Guan Shan noticed it was day already, although he had no idea what time exactly was. What he did notice, though, was the fact that the apartment was completely silent and there were no signs of He Tian.

His bed was messy, there was a dirty cup sitting on the kitchen sink and the towel hanging in the bathroom seemed damn, which could only mean one thing: He Tian had already left for school. He Tian leaving for school also meant he had left Guan Shan all alone in his huge apartment to do whatever he wanted to – and with absolutely no food.

“ _He’s neglecting a living being’s need! Fucking chicken dick!_ ” Guan Shan thought as he pondered what mess he could do in He Tian’s apartment, only to find a medium bowl by the kitchen counter. “ _Well, guess I’ll have to cross the neglect part_.” Guan Shan corrected himself as he examined the bowl – yep, one hundred percent milk. “ _He’s still a chicken dick, though_.” He added to himself, chuckling inwards as he drank some of the milk.

Many hours, four naps, three parkour attempts, and one successful fridge climbing later, He Tian was back home.

His arrival was announced by the big door opening and then closing, as well as a the sound of a plastic bag being carried around. Guan Shan didn’t make a move to drop down from where he was – currently right on top of the fridge, observing the apartment from above, thank you very much – and settled with watching He Tian wander around the loft. “ _If someone could understand me, I’d bet he’s looking for me, loser._ ”

“Little Mo?” He Tian called, and Guan Shan tried to ignore the fact that he had barfed a little. “I got you stuff!” He Tian added, and that effectively got some of Guan Shan’s attention, so he decided to meow. “Oh, how did you get there?”

“ _I’m a fucking cat, cats are pros at climbing stuff, moron._ ” Guan Shan added inwardly. “ _Aren’t you supposed to be like, the smart one?_ ”

“I got toys, and a collar, and a cat bowl, and...” He Tian mumbled the first bits, his voice getting lower and lower. “I’m talking to a fucking cat.” He sighed, making Guan Shan raise an inexistent brow. “I’m either insane or extremely lonely, fuck.”

Guan Shan wanted to add a snarky thought to that. He couldn’t.

What he could, however, was feel the faint smell of something sweet and overly enticing. Something that was making Guan Shan think how he could actually climb down the fridge and hop onto the kitchen counter, only to take a closer look at something that smelled so good. His animal instincts screamed at him to just stuff his head inside that plastic bag and never get it out, while his human instincts screamed at him that he knew exactly what that was.

“ _And of course He Tian would buy catnip. Fucker is now trying to buy me with drugs and toys. He thinks I’m what? A fucking cat?_ ”

...

“ _Well that thought was dumb and I’m going to pretend it never happened._ ”

Thoughts aside, Guan Shan kept on observing He Tian was he unpacked all the stuff he had bought. From where he was, Guan Shan could see a squeaky mouse toy, a bag of catnip, something that resembled a rope, a yellow cat bowl with little plastic paws, a bag of what looked like cat food, some cans – probably cat food as well – and... Was that a laser pointer?

“ _Joke’s on you, He Tian, I am not a real cat and I won’t be tricked by a dumb laser pointer_.”

“Hn, you gotta be hungry, I left you alone all day long.” He Tian hummed and Guan Shan inwardly agreed. He was hungry, for fucks sake.

So He Tian washed and dried the plastic bowl – which Guan Shan wouldn’t admit out loud, but he did think was a sweet gesture – and placed it on the kitchen floor, once again by the counter, and poured some of the dry cat food he had bought. Guan Shan decided it was finally time for him to get out of his throne and take a look at that weird looking food.

Three jumps later Guan Shan was by the bowl, smelling it and realizing it smelled like something he could eat without throwing up. So, testing the waters, Guan Shan picked one of the dry bits of the food with his small teeth and crunched on it, noticing it – actually – tasted really good. Thankfully this curse had changed his taste buds, otherwise Guan Shan would be utterly fucked.

Guan Shan munched on the cat food, eating it slowly and thoroughly, trying to not gag with the rather dry meal. While he was it, he heard the fumbling of He Tian messing with something in the plastic bag, and soon he noticed it was a second bowl – this one black – and that it was now placed beside his food bowl, and filled with water. Guan Shan only realized how thirsty he was when he saw the crystal clear water there.

For the second time, He Tian tried to pet Guan Shan while he was eating, and for the second time, Guan Shan jumped on him with claws ready to pierce through skin. And, of course, for the second time, Guan Shan ended up with limp limbs while He Tian grabbed the back of his neck like a momma-cat. “ _Curse you, He Tian_!”

“Why are you so unfriendly? Jeez.” He Tian huffed, grabbing his cellphone while placing Guan Shan on the couch. “Gonna call Guan Shan and ask him how to deal with a little puss who acts just like him.”

“ _FUCK YOU!_ ” Guan Shan hissed, temporarily forgetting about the fact that He Tian wouldn’t be able to talk to him.

Seconds later, He Tian was clicking his tongue while carrying a puzzled look. He messed with something on the phone a second time and brought it to his ear. Seconds later, the same puzzled look. He Tian repeated his actions three more times, until he finally gave up and threw the phone on the couch, bringing his fingers to soften the wrinkles he had on his temples.

“Voice mail?”

“ _I’m not there to pick up my damn phone, dumbass_.”

“I can’t believe he’s ignoring me.”

“ _I am most certainly not_.” Guan Shan thought about adding some more information to that sentence, but it isn’t like He Tian could read his mind, so he just dropped it, walking farther away from He Tian and curling on his body, trying to ignore the uneasy expression he had never seen on He Tian’s face before, and how it didn’t fit He Tian’s face at all.

When Guan Shan woke up, several hours later and with the moon high on the sky, the first thing he heard was groaning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: A Furrari.
> 
> What's the groaning?
> 
> I wonder!
> 
> Just kidding, chapter 03, 04 and 05 are also already written~
> 
> I would absolutely love to know what you guys are thinking about the fanfic so far, so please don't be shy and leave me a comment~ Kudos are also highly appreciated if you feel like I deserve it~
> 
> Pops' Out~


	4. 03 - I'm not Feline okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between nightmares, laser pointers, vets and phone calls, Guan Shan allows himself to get closer to He Tian.
> 
> Angst ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody, here I am once more with yet another chapter of this lovely fanfic.
> 
> Little warning, this chapter is not supposed to have a light-hearted and happy tone and setting as the previous ones were, so if you start feeling sad, I am sorry. Also, it was on purpose, so I am not THAT sorry.
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter, as this one is surely of extreme importance to the fanfic as a whole.
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> Q.: How do you make a fashionable cat happy?

After a few moments trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness, which honestly happened quite fast – thanks to his feline pupils –, Guan Shan looked around, searching for the source of the noise. He jumped down the couch and walked around the loft, following the groaning up until he was beside He Tian’s bed. The sounds got louder and standing closer Guan Shan could pick up He Tian’s quickened breaths, as well as how he turned and tossed on the bed.

Guan Shan didn’t want to admit, but this was scaring him.

“ _He isn’t dying, is he?_ ” Guan Shan asked himself, half of his instincts telling him to get the fuck away from He Tian, and the other half telling him to climb on the bed and check up on him.

With a heavy inward sigh – and some buried memories of late night calling – Guan Shan let the worried half win and climbed on the bed, having to immediately dodge a leg kicking him. He moved nearer He Tian’s face and pawed at it softly, knowing that even though it was by far his best shot at scarring He Tian for life – quite literally if he wanted to – he shouldn’t do it in this circumstances.

When Guan Shan noticed his soft pawing wasn’t working and He Tian kept his twists and turns while he broke on a cold sweat, Guan Shan booped He Tian’s cheek with his nose, praying for the fact that cat’s noses were usually cold and wet to help him wake He Tian up.

He Tian was already cold and wet, though, so a few unsuccessful attempts later Guan Shan gave up on that, and decided he had to do the unthinkable. “ _You’re in a nightmare, when you wake up from it on your bed, it will be like it never happened_.” He repeated like a mantra, even though he knew by now it wouldn’t happen. So Guan Shan moved away from He Tian’s face and walked towards his wrist, lowering his head, gulping, and then licking He Tian’s palm.

Guan Shan had never been licked by a cat’s tongue, but only by the way it sat on his mouth, he was well aware that it could be used as a hardcore tickling instrument, so he just kept licking He Tian’s palm – wishing for him to be at least a little bit ticklish there, like most human beings were – trying to wake him up from whatever bad dream he was having.

Moments later the twist and turn stopped, and Guan Shan halted his ministrations and looked up, only to find confused and unfocused black eyes staring directly at him. The hand he was licking tried to reach for his fur, but Guan Shan simply placed his right paw on it, lowering He Tian’s hand down on the mattress once more, this time without any claws being involved.

When He Tian seemed to have understood the message, Guan Shan meowed, soft and low, on his own feline way of saying that he was worried – although he would deny it until the day he passed away. That seemed to be enough to make He Tian understand at least a little bit of what was happening, and once he looked fully awake, Guan Shan saw as he reached for his cellphone, dialing a number Guan Shan noticed He Tian knew by heart.

And it rang, and rang, and rang, but nobody picked it up.

The phone ended up at the other side of the loft, smashed against the wall, falling on the floor afterwards. He Tian looked a mess, pulling his hair and muttering a mantra of ‘He’s just ignoring you, it’s not like anything happened. He’s just ignoring you’. Guan Shan did think that version of He Tian looked pathetic, which made him also think he didn’t want to see pathetic He Tian ever again.

It didn’t fit.

“ _But something did happen, and I’m not ignoring you_.” Guan Shan meowed to himself after confirming the number He Tian had called was his own.

He Tian ended up getting up from the bed and going to the bathroom, probably to wash his face – as Guan Shan noticed the tap being opened. Minutes later He Tian was back, walking to the kitchen counter and fumbling with the stuff there under the darkness of his apartment. Guan Shan looked at him with some sort of curiosity, since he really wanted to know what He Tian was up to at about four in the morning.

And apparently He Tian was up for some human-cat play, as he grabbed the rope-like toy and the laser pointer. He clicked the pointer on and soon the red dot was moving around Guan Shan’s bored paws. But it wasn’t like Guan Shan would just chase the red dot like a stupid cat; he knew it was just a laser pointer and that what He Tian wanted was to make a fool out of him.

BUT DAMN IT WAS MOVING SO FAST AND HE COULDN’T HELP BUT TO FOLLOW THE DOT AND HIS PAWS WERE ACHING AND HE NEEDED TO JUMP ON THE DOT AND CATCH IT!

Before Guan Shan could control himself, his small body was already being launched towards the dot, only to hear a chuckle coming from He Tian as the dot moved to another place on the wooden floor. And Guan Shan kept on following it, trying on useless attempts to capture the menacing laser dot and stop this play once and for all.

“ _I’m gonna get it! I’m gonna ge-_ ” His mind screamed, and suddenly Guan Shan’s human part took over again and he stopped making a fool of himself. “ _Way to go, Guan Shan, following a damn red laser dot you KNOW He Tian is controlling_.”

Guan Shan pretended not to hear the soft whisper from deep down that commenting on how He Tian’s uneasy expression was gone and that he had a smile sitting on his lips instead. He wasn’t doing it to amuse He Tian, of course not; he was doing it because his cat-sona thought it was fun to follow a damn laser pointer around. It had nothing to do with He Tian. NOTHING!

As soon as He Tian noticed Guan Shan was no longer interested in the laser pointer, he grabbed the rope-like toy and started wiggling it in front of his legs, successfully grabbing Guan Shan’s attention. Guan Shan slowly walked back to He Tian, his eyes never leaving the moving ropes, and when he was finally close enough, he moved his left paw and tried to hook his claws on it.

“This one you can claw, it’s made for you to claw.” He Tian mumbled, something about his face and hands not being a scratch pole lost between sluggish words.

Guan Shan pretended he hadn’t heard He Tian’s words, as he didn’t plan on stop clawing He Tian anytime soon.

Slowly, He Tian’s movements became slower and slower, and when Guan Shan looked up, he noticed He Tian was yawning. Well, he was still a human being who probably had classes in the following morning and was also probably tired after a long day. So Guan Shan, taking advantage of his temporary good heart, stopped clawing at the toy and ran to He Tian’s bed, jumping on it.

Seconds later He Tian followed Guan Shan and lay down on the mattress, shifting until he found a comfortable position. For a second time that night he tried to reach for Guan Shan’s head, and for a second time Guan Shan’s paw stopped He Tian before he could pet the ginger cat. And then, countless minutes later, when He Tian was finally sound asleep, Guan Shan went back to his spot on He Tian’s couch and lulled himself back to sleep.

As Guan Shan could have guessed, He Tian was already gone by the time his lazy cat ass woke up. Thankfully he had left Guan Shan’s bowls of food and water filled, and the squeaky mouse toy was laying somewhere near the dinner table.

After Guan Shan ate some food and drank some water, he pondered about the things he could do while He Tian was away. He had already tested everything he could climb around the house, so that was most definitely off the table. He wasn’t feeling like taking three thousand naps like the day before, so it was also off the table. He also was thinking about doing something that would certainly take He Tian’s mind away from his – Guan Shan’s – human-sona.

So Guan Shan decided to do the best he could to transform He Tian’s apartment into the biggest mess he could – and he probably only did that because he had momentarily forgotten the fact that HE was the one who usually cleaned up after He Tian’s mess, and a cat’s mess would probably be no exception to that rule.

By the time He Tian came back home, at least one quarter of his couch was trashed by Guan Shan’s claws, his food bowl was upside-down, with cat food spilled all over the kitchen floor, the toilet paper roll was completely unrolled – and Guan Shan had to admit that was the most fun he had had in days – and all of the lamps scattered around He Tian’s apartment had been knocked down – some even broke.

“‘The hell?” He Tian asked himself after opening the front door and finding his apartment as a war zone. “I was gonna wait until the weekend to take you to a vet, but holy mother, you’re getting shots and you’re getting shots today, so you’re gonna learn how to be a good boy.”

“ _Shots?_ ” Guan Shan asked himself. “ _What the hell a- IS HE GONNA TAKE ME TO A VET_?” And as panic settled, Guan Shan started to run away.

He Tian probably knew Guan Shan would run away – come on, by now he was aware that was the thing the cat did best – but he still didn’t follow Guan Shan right away. That made Guan Shan rather confused, imagining that He Tian could be planning and considering the fact that He Tian had tried luring him from his hidden spot with food before. But Guan Shan was well fed now, though, so food wouldn’t work. Not in a thousand years.

That made Guan Shan keep on thinking he had the higher ground. Or at least until his little nostrils picked up that heavenly smell that could lure Guan Shan right into the devil’s hands. And before Guan Shan could make any sense of where he was at or what was happening, a little jail door was being closed right in front of his face as the smell got farther and farther away.

“ _DAMN YOU AND YOUR CATNIP!_ ”

Twenty minutes later Guan Shan was going through what he could define as the worst experience of his whole life – yep, it was worse than the kiss. Getting shots easily took the trophy, as it seemed he was much more sensitive to pain than he was when human, for some unknown reason.

“Do you want to castrate him too?” Guan Shan then heard the vet saying, which instantly made his heartbeat skyrocket and his anxiety kick in.

And oh boy did Guan Shan squirm, hiss, meow, claw and jump. Nobody in that entire facility could get a hold of him and he hoped he had made his statement of “ _NOBODY IS TOUCHING MY BALLS!_ ” really clear for everybody to see.

Minutes later Guan Shan was lured by the same trap as before, but he only caved in because he heard He Tian saying, in a quite childish voice: “It’s okay, buddy, no one is gonna mess with your balls... Not today at least.”

Once they were back at He Tian’s apartment, Guan Shan ate the wet cat food – apparently he had been a good boy for taking all of his shots and He Tian wanted to spoil him or something like that – he was given, still looking at He Tian with his best betrayed expression. His act couldn’t last long, though, since He Tian received a call.

“He Tian talking.” He said as he answered the phone. “No, I don’t know.” His voice was low, but Guan Shan could feel some bottled feelings threatening to surface. “He’s... No.” He said, firm, startling Guan Shan. “Don’t do that, we’re gonna figure something out.” By the time he was pacing around the living room. “Tomorrow, after school, yes, I’ll bring them.” His left hand passed all over his face, dragging his eyelids and cheeks down. “It’s gonna be ok, I swear.” And then he hung up.

Guan Shan realized that his stay with He Tian was one to show Guan Shan all of He Tian’s sides he had no idea that existed. This new one was undoubtedly Anxiety Attack He Tian. And Anxiety Attack He Tian had just grabbed one of the fallen small lamps, throwing it towards the opposite wall.

“FUCK! THIS IS NOT OK!”

His meow was completely involuntary, Guan Shan swore, but it was enough to bring He Tian’s unfocused eyes to his small build, looking at Guan Shan with something he couldn’t understand, but somehow could also feel, making Guan Shan walk closer to He Tian. And when He Tian picked him up and hugged him, Guan Shan didn’t squirm nor tried to scratch him – for the very first time.

“ _Damned be you, vulnerable demon_.”

Guan Shan didn’t know for how long He Tian hugged him, but eventually he let Guan Shan go and went to the bathroom – maybe to take a shower. And Guan Shan just stayed there, sitting on the couch with his tiny heart blasting against his ribcage, unsure of why he was so nervous after feeling He Tian’s arms around him, so big and strong, but yet so delicate and caring.

“ _Damned be you, vulnerable_ fucking _demon_.” Guan Shan repeated to himself, like a mantra.

That night, He Tian didn’t eat. He Tian didn’t dry his hair. He Tian didn’t clean the mess Guan Shan had done in his apartment. He Tian only went straight to bed.

And that night, He Tian’s twist and turns were so strong and heavy that Guan Shan weren’t even able to climb on the bed without being hit, therefore unable to wake He Tian up from whatever nightmare he was having.

By the morning, He Tian had huge bags under his eyes.

Guan Shan meowed at He Tian, trying to get any other reactions from him that weren’t grunts or a pitiful look. Whatever phone call He Tian had received on the previous night, it had crumbled He Tian’s strength and will to dust, and it only made Guan Shan more and more curious.

But He Tian wasn’t feeling like talking to a cat – to himself, actually – which made Guan Shan’s questions remain unanswered. And before Guan Shan could jump on He Tian’s lap and scratch the hell out of his face only to see something that wasn’t – sadness? – plastered on his face, He Tian had left the apartment and gone somewhere else – school, maybe, but Guan Shan wasn’t sure that day was a school day.

Some hours – probably – later, when Guan Shan had finally let his mind drift away from thoughts of an uneasy He Tian and he had fallen asleep, he was awoken by a lot of noises in the apartment. Waking up from his usual spot on the couch and looking around, Guan Shan realized there was someone cleaning He Tian’s house – someone that wasn’t a redhead, angry nor overreacted to everything.

He Tian had called someone to clean his house, and that someone wasn’t Guan Shan.

“ _Of course he didn’t call you; you’re not picking up your phone BECAUSE YOU ARE A DAMN CAT!_ ”

So hurtful feelings of betrayal aside, Guan Shan decided to let the maid – a woman on her mid-twenties – clean the mess he had done the day before and went back to sleep.

When Guan Shan woke up a second time that day – or third, if he considered the late night struggle as well – it was also to a noise. More specifically, the noise He Tian made when he entered the loft, closed and locked the door, dropped a stack of paper on the coffee table and then entered the bathroom.

Guan Shan’s eyes looked around for a bit, noticing the tidy apartment – that would be tidier if he were the one cleaning and organizing it – and finish its travel by dropping on the paper stash on the coffee table. He then jumped from the couch to the table, in order to inspect the paper better, and Guan Shan would be lying if he said what he saw there didn’t make his heart feel tight inside his chest.

The paper stash contained a big amount of posters. Of a missing person’s poster. Under the bold **MISSING** letters there was a picture, a picture that Guan Shan knew way too well when it was taken. A picture Guan Shan didn’t want to take, and therefore had an extra grumpy expression on it. The picture his mother insisted in taking after Guan Shan had been dismissed from the hospital.

And under the picture, a small and sweet note telling people about how Guan Shan’s family and friends were worried about him, as well as Guan Shan’s mother and He Tian’s phone numbers as contact information. To add to the madness, there was also a small PS telling anyone who studied at their school not to take those posters to the faculty. Guan Shan wondered why.

“ _I’m making her worry about me again_.” Guan Shan sighed inwardly, leaning his head on his paws. “ _What a poor excuse of a son I am, huh_.”

“Little…” Guan Shan’s sulking was interrupted by He Tian’s low and tired voice. “Mo.” And as soon as Guan Shan’s round kitty eyes looked at He Tian, he broke down.

If Guan Shan thought the Anxiety Attack was bad, he was not ready for when He Tian started wailing. Because no, that wasn’t normal crying, nor a light weeping, definitely not. He Tian was full on kneeling on the floor, steps away from the couch, screaming and wailing as if he had suffered a major injury and like he had probably never done in a long time. And it did catch Guan Shan completely off-guard.

He had seen He Tian vulnerable once or twice before, but it was never this helpless.

Guan Shan didn’t know what to do besides sit beside He Tian and look at him.

“He never came home that day.” He Tian murmured between sobs, his voice cracking and high-pitched. “He didn’t pick up the phone because he didn’t have it with him.” Thick tears maculated He Tian’s cheeks, rolling down his face and dripping on his thighs. “I looked for him through the whole city,” he hiccupped, losing the last thread of control he had, “but for the first time I couldn’t find him.”

Guan Shan’s paw pressed against He Tian’s knee, and he gave the kitty Guan Shan a half-hearted smile.

“The last time I took too long to find him,” his sniffs and hiccups kept interrupting him, but he didn’t seem to care, “he ended up in the hospital.”

A pained scream, fists tightening, and then blood staining He Tian’s right palm.

“Where’s Guan Shan, Little Mo?” He Tian then asked, long minutes into crying, when his breath was stabilizing and his tears thinner. “Where is he?”

“ _I’m right here, idiot_.” Guan Shan thought, still feeling that annoying tightness inside his little chest. “ _You shouldn’t show such pathetic side of you to me, did you know that? I’m gonna make fun of you._ ” And then, for the second time, Guan Shan did the unthinkable.

Because being turned into a cat had apparently changed the rules of possibility and impossibility.

Guan Shan climbed on He Tian’s damp lap and nuzzled He Tian’s mid-section with his head, in what Guan Shan guessed was what cats would do when they wanted to show their owners they wanted to be petted. And yes, Guan Shan had said just days prior that he would rather die than be petted by He Tian, but those weren’t normal circumstances. And dire circumstances required dire actions.

“Huh, you are just like him, aren’t you?” He Tian asked with a sad tone, his rhetorical question lost in the apartment’s echoes. “You pretend you don’t care, but deep down you do, don’t you?”

“ _Fucking bastard_.” Guan Shan cussed as he felt He Tian’s clean hand caress his head and the back of his ears. Nobody would ever hear him saying that, but it did feel really soothing. “ _Don’t think you have me figured out_.” Even though deep down Guan Shan knew He Tian had him figured out already.

“And then people say cats are not tender.” He Tian huffed and Guan Shan decided to ignore the fact that he was purring. “Thanks, Little Mo.”

Before Guan Shan could do anything, He Tian had picked him up and dragged Guan Shan to his bed, laying down on it and dragging the cat to lie close to him. Guan Shan didn’t move until he felt the hand petting his fur falter, until it came to a full stop. It was only when Guan Shan was one hundred percent sure that He Tian was sleeping, that he left the bed and went to the couch, sleeping on his usual spot and dreaming of slender fingers brushing through his fur delicately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: Give them a new purr coat and they’ll be feline good.
> 
> So, have I broken your hearts with sides of He Tian that are yet to be seen in the canon thing?
> 
> Don't be shy to comment, and kudos are always appreciated~
> 
> Pops' Out~


	5. 04 - Getting Furmiliar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guan Shan finally realizes how much he is liked, as well as his true feelings.
> 
> With it, the acceptance of being a cat also comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call me Lighting McQueen cause DAMN I've been being fast recently!
> 
> Here we have it, another angsty chapter. Remembering that this one is the last chapter from the first arc.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> Onto the chapter we go~
> 
> Q.: What do cats wear at night?

On the following day – probably the fourth one as a cat, if Guan Shan was keeping track correctly – Guan Shan was woken up by the couch sinking low under him and then fingers combing his fur. He decided to ignore the voice that screamed at him He Tian was petting him and he was letting He Tian do it – and that well, he was actually _liking_ it – and just enjoy the fact that his sleep felt much more comfortable when he had that welcome weight pressing against his side.

The second time he was woken up was with heavy and loud knocks on He Tian’s front door. The hand caressing Guan Shan stopped, which made him yawn, stretch and open his eyes, not necessarily in that order. After his morning – was it morning at all? – laziness had subsided a little, Guan Shan hopped on the floor and walked towards the kitchen to eat and drink something – he would always wake up hungry, after all.

Only when Guan Shan was munching on his crunchy food that stopped to actually pay attention to He Tian and his guests – dumb and dumber, he should have guessed. And the three of them were now sitting at the dinner table, but instead of talking like normal acquaintances – friends? – would, they were just staring at each other. When Guan Shan decided to take a look at their faces, he noticed why.

Nobody knew what to say.

Jian Yi’s usual light hearted mood was buried under a scowl.

Zheng Xi’s usual lack of expression was replaced by a light twitch of brows.

And He Tian’s usual smug self had given place to that pitiful looking dude.

“How are you holding on?” Jian Yi was the one to break the silence, asking what Guan Shan could have guessed was a taboo question, by the way Zheng Xi shifted on his seat while observing He Tian.

“I’m not?” He Tian answered with half a huff and half a fake laugh. “I’m afraid, afraid that something happened to him.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, Jian Yi.” He Tian gritted his teeth, concealing his rage. “There are bad people around me who could have done something.” He mumbled at last.

Jian Yi seemed to understand.

Zheng Xi looked confused.

“You planning something?” Jian Yi asked at last, brow arched and expression – for once – unreadable.

“What could we possibly do? There are no leads whatsoever.” He Tian sighed, messing his hair with his hands. “The last person who saw him said he was inside one of the classrooms, I bribed the security to take a look at the camera recordings, but he didn’t leave the school that day. At least not through any of the places that had cameras covering the area.”

“So you’re telling us that it’s like Redhead actually vanished?” Zheng Xi butted in, clearly confused. “People don’t just vanish in thin-air, He Tian.”

“ _Well, I didn’t vanish, he’s right about that_.” Guan Shan meowed before he could stop himself. “ _I just got turned into a CHICKEN DICK CAT._ ”

And suddenly all the attention in the room was on him.

“What’s with the cat?” Jian Yi asked, pointing at Guan Shan and changing the subject abruptly.

“Someone dropped him at my doorstep, said I had to take care of him.” He Tian shrugged. “It’s not like I could just leave the cat on the streets.”

“That explains the scratches.” Jian Yi then chuckled.

“I wasn’t really sure about keeping him, though; he was a little bitch in the beginning.” The mood suddenly felt lighter, and Guan Shan actually thanked for being able to be a distraction. “But he’s a good cat, just not good with people.”

“What’s his name?” Jian Yi got up from the chair and circled the table, kneeling beside Guan Shan and trying to reach him.

“ _Don’t fucking touch me_.” Guan Shan hissed and Jian Yi retreated his hand, surprised.

“I told you he’s not good with people.” He Tian said kneeling behind Guan Shan and petting his head. “I named him,” He Tian’s voice faltered and Guan Shan could tell he was looking down and pathetic, “Little Mo.”

“Ain’t that one of the nicknames you gave Re-” Jian Yi started, but he was interrupted.

“Yes.”

“Oddly fitting, huh.” He added, and He Tian huffed while sitting on the floor and picking Guan Shan up, placing the cat on his lap.

“You know, I never actually said it out loud,” He Tian muttered and Guan Shan turned his head towards him, trying to read He Tian’s pained expression, “but I really like Guan Shan.”

“Like, _like_?” Jian Yi asked.

“Like the way you like him.” He Tian answered, pointing at Zheng Xi and chuckling when Jian Yi flushed all the way to his ears.

Guan Shan could swear he heard the gears turning inside his head, making him slowly realize what Jian Yi and He Tian were talking about. And once he did, he jumped, hissed and clawed at He Tian’s already hurt hands, bolting out of his lap and running towards his usual and rather known hiding spot: under He Tian’s bed. He also pretended not to hear He Tian’s hurt hiss and Jian Yi’s mocking laugh.

“Definitely not good with people.” He Tian sighed and Guan Shan could feel the mood dropping again. “But yeah, I know people don’t just vanish.”

“What might have happened, then?”

“Don’t you think that maybe,” Zheng Xi’s stuttered, “just maybe, he wanted to vanish?”

“You implying Redhead ran away?” By the way Jian Yi’s voice raised a few tones; Guan Shan could see he was baffled.

“Little Mo wouldn’t do that.” He Tian said. “I mean, he would totally do that to us-”

“ _They surely trust me, huh_.”

“But he wouldn’t do that to his mother.”

“Nah, I don’t think he would do that to us either.” Surprisingly, it was Zheng Xi who said it. “Redhead must be bad at talking, and I get it, but by now he must’ve realized we actually care about him.” He then sighed and Guan Shan was regretting hiding, since he wanted to see his facial expression. “Redhead is not a traitor.”

“You’re right.” He Tian agreed after a few minutes of silence. “Guess I was just wishing for him to have run away.”

“Coping mechanism?” Jian Yi asked and by the lack of response, Guan Shan guessed He Tian had just nodded. “I guess we’ll have to hope for the best, and keep on looking for him, of course.”

Guan Shan decided it was finally time to get out from his hiding spot and go back to where the others were, so he did it. He stopped by the living room – they had moved at some point – only to find out his usual spot had been taken by Jian Yi. That made Guan Shan stop at Jian Yi’s feet and just stare at him, drilling holes on Jian Yi’s face with a deadly glare.

“Why do I feel like he wants to kill me?” Jian Yi mumbled to Zheng Xi, which made He Tian chuckle.

“You’re sitting where he usually sleeps.” He Tian answered. “He’s probably plotting your death as we speak.”

“Oh no!” Jian Yi faked fear. “I must leave this spot immediately, then.”

“Yeah,” another chuckle, “you should.”

Jian Yi kept not taking Guan Shan seriously, so Guan Shan decided to use his legs as a scratching pole. It worked like a charm.

“Okay, fine, kitty cat made his point straight.” Jian Yi huffed and got up, dragging Zheng Xi with him. “Guess we’ll be going now.”

“Not like sitting and talking will do any help.” Zheng Xi added.

“ _With you two here, he at least gets distracted_.” Guan Shan thought, thanking all deities for the fact that neither of them could understand him.

“Are you gonna search for him today?” Jian Yi asked when they were at the front door.

“What do you think?” He Tian retorted.

“I hope we have better luck then.” He said at last, waving good-bye at He Tian and finally leaving the apartment.

“Me too.” He Tian mumbled after closing the door. “Me too.”

He Tian left to look for Guan Shan after changing, leaving Guan Shan alone when the sun was still out, but coming back only when the moon was out for quite some time. Guan Shan didn’t know what time was that, but he would probably guess something between nine and ten in the evening, considering the programs on TV when He Tian turned it on for background noise.

The night went on with He Tian absent-mindedly multitasking between scrolling something on his phone, eating instant noodles and petting Guan Shan. One would think he was just having a lazy evening, but Guan Shan knew better than that. He Tian’s eyes wouldn’t look that dark under normal circumstances. It didn’t matter how much he tried to mask, his eyes would always give away what was really going on inside his heart.

Guan Shan was divided on how to deal with all of the information learned that day, as well as other stuff bothering him, so he used that quiet moment to mostly think, not minding the soft scratch behind his ears nor the purring coming from his chest.

First of all, Guan Shan was slightly caught by surprise. Not like he didn’t have a hunch about He Tian’s feelings, since He Tian wasn’t the subtlest, but Guan Shan knew it would become harder and harder to fake blindness now that everything was out in the open. Of course, he could pretend he didn’t know about He Tian’s real feelings like he had done before, especially because He Tian himself didn’t know Guan Shan did know, but everybody knew how good Guan Shan was at handling emotions. He eventually would slip he knew and then things would just go downhill from there.

Second of all, the fact that Guan Shan was now one hundred percent sure about He Tian’s feelings made him think about his own locked emotions. Guan Shan had sworn he would pretend he had never dreamed of He Tian when he was away – god knows where –, but it was impossible to keep those bottled feelings in check when his subconscious screamed at him he had a chance to be happy. Legitimately happy. Guan Shan, however, didn’t know if he was ready to risk anything for a chance of happiness.

Third of all, the way the three of them reacting to Guan Shan’s missing episode. If before Guan Shan wasn’t sure about the true nature of Jian Yi’s feelings towards him, or even the fact of if Zheng Xi had forgiven him or not, it was now as clear as water. Jian Yi was just trying to be a good friend and Zheng Xi had a heart of gold kind enough to forgive someone who hadn’t even apologized. Besides all of that, they were apparently helping his mother to look for him around the city, even though they probably had more important things to do – like study for the high school entrance exams that were just around the corner.

Fourth of all, Guan Shan thought about his mother’s despair. How sad she was probably feeling by having her last thread of sanity torn away from her. Because her husband being locked up wasn’t bad enough, the universe had to also take her son away from her. This fact was the one that hurt Guan Shan the most. All he wanted to do was run back home and curl on his mother’s lap and scratch the floor until he had a message she could understand written, but he knew better not to do that, for a plethora of reasons. The main one being the fact that he could kill his mother in the process – of either allergy or shock.

Last of all, Guan Shan wondered about his own condition. He had been transformed into a cat about four days prior, which could be considered a fair short amount of time, but Guan Shan didn’t know how long he would be a cat for. Guan Shan was starting to doubt if he would ever go back to be an actual human being. Other people’s feelings aside, this was what scared Guan Shan the most. And it scared him that much because Guan Shan knew that if he were to be a cat for all eternity, he would never be able to hug his mother and tell her he loved her ever again.

He would never be able to cook for He Tian and hear him saying how the food was the best He Tian had ever had.

He would never be able to push Jian Yi away when he was feeling too touchy-feely.

He would never be able to apologize to Zheng Xi, nor tell him he wished they had become friends on better circumstances.

He would never be able to see his father get out of jail and come back home.

That hurt Guan Shan.

More than being beaten and humiliated by He Tian a handful of times before. More than feeling guilty of sending someone to the hospital. More than being kissed against his will. More than being used and framed by something he didn’t do. More than fighting for his mother’s honor and ending up in the hospital. More than missing someone who wasn’t there.

But as the days passed, with He Tian leaving the house early to – probably – look for Guan Shan, coming back by lunch time to have instant noodles and refill Guan Shan’s food and water bowls, and then leaving again only to come back by nighttime, Guan Shan started to not only realize the fact that he was doomed to keep on being a cat, but also the fact that he was actually accepting it.

And at some point, Guan Shan stopped acting more like his human self and started acting more like his new cat self, searching for He Tian whenever he was in the apartment. Seeking for He Tian’s soft caress. Comforting He Tian when he cried late at night. Soothing He Tian when he had – the now more and more frequent – nightmares. Guan Shan stopped acting like Mo Guan Shan and started acting like Little Mo.

What warmed Guan Shan’s heart, even though it was still tight with other thousands of reasons, was the fact that he was succeeding. He Tian did start to look better in the mornings, and his nightmares seemed to have gotten less bad. But that sadness settled on the back of his dark eyes, apparently hidden from everybody else yet obvious for Guan Shan, remained there, haunting Guan Shan’s dreams and thoughts.

It was in one of those late nights he was still awake, lost in thought and waiting to see if He Tian would wake up from a nightmare, that Guan Shan realized why he cared so much about He Tian’s well-being. And even though he didn’t want to face or accept it, he decided he could at least start to sleep on He Tian’s bed, feeling He Tian’s large body around his tiny one, in some way menacing, but calming at the same time. It was like Guan Shan belonged there, by He Tian’s side.

Or at least that was what he thought, until the night of the seventh day.

Guan Shan’s light sleep was disturbed by fumbling under the sheets, but how he thought He Tian was just having another nightmare, he just scooted a little bit closer and tried to go back to sleep. The fumbling didn’t stop, though, it instead became evenly paced. And this paced fumbling later on had some wet noises added to it. Those wet noises were something Guan Shan tried his best to deny, pretend he wasn’t hearing it, but it didn’t take a genius to know what was happening under those sheets.

And when it was finally over, Guan Shan’s excellent sense of smell – cursed be it – picked up that _teenage boy’s bedroom when he’s home alone_ scent, making the small cat cringe and curl to the smallest ball, thinking about bolting and going back to the place he should have never left – the couch was much safer, after all.

But Guan Shan didn’t.

He just pretended to be asleep when He Tian got up of the bed and returned minutes later, filling Guan Shan’s nostrils with the sweet smell of He Tian’s hand soap. Guan Shan also inwardly thanked for the fact that He Tian didn’t try to touch him during the process, really thoughtful of him, nor after.

So, in what seemed hours later, but were just a few minutes, Guan Shan fell back asleep.

That time, however, he slept deeply. So deeply that he didn’t realize things had changed drastically.

* * *

When He Tian woke up in the following morning, body rested but mind exhausted, he was greeted by a heavier weight – compared to his cat – by his side, as well as rusty and spiky strands of hair tickling his nose, as well as a very human, very asleep and very naked silhouette of none other than Mo Guan Shan himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: Pawjamas!
> 
> Yay, Guan Shan is back to his human self, which means the reason for the angst is gone! Yay! Let's be happy now!
> 
> Initially the fanfic was supposed to be the 8 chapters with Guan Shan being a cat, but I realized it would be really dragged on and it would become repetitive at some point, so I had a second idea that I decided to use in the last 4 main chapters. What is it? You guys will find out on chapter 05!
> 
> Don't be shy and leave me a comment, they make my entire day. And if you feel like I deserve, also leave me some kudos~
> 
> Pops' Out~


	6. 05 - Purrsonality Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up to a naked Guan Shan on his bed, He Tian.exe stops working momentarily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEWARE! THE OOC TRAIN IS COMMING AND IT WANTS TO RUN OVER EVERYTHING ON ITS WAY!
> 
> I'm serious, everybody is OOC in this chapter. It's on purpose, though.
> 
> I hope you all like it!
> 
> Q.: What’s a cat’s most important trait?

He Tian, for the very first time in his life, didn’t know what to do.

He was still lying in bed, half sitting, legs sprawled and blanket falling down his torso, looking at the other side of the mattress as if he had just witnessed a paranormal event. Inside He Tian’s brain, which was turned upside-down at that moment, this was the only reasonable explanation for Guan Shan – come on, Guan fucking Shan – to be asleep like a baby on his bed, snoring lightly like he was having the best rest of his life, expression clean and soft, and completely naked.

Not that He Tian stared too much – god he wanted to, though – but once he had taken a good full glance on the lean body beside him, He Tian remembered a thing called decency and turned his head away. Blushing. He Tian, the Devil’s Spawn, Incarnation of Sin, Personification of Perversion, was blushing because his _crush_ was naked on his bed. Don’t get He Tian wrong, though, he would have welcomed it at any given time, arms open and huge grin. If. Guan. Shan. Was. Awake. And. Willing.

Oh, yeah, he learned his lesson about consent with the kiss incident. Hard times.

After many minutes wasted with his inward turmoil, He Tian finally built the courage to get out of the bed and do something about the sleeping person next to him. The first thing he did was grab the blankets that were covering him and pull them over Guan Shan’s body – which was kind of tricky to do because he was looking at the ceiling – covering his nakedness.

Then He Tian searched for some clothes in his wardrobe, thanking for the fact that although he was slightly taller, both of them seemed to dress the same size, which meant any clothes He Tian picked would probably fit Guan Shan like a glove. So, once he had the neatly folded sweatpants, shirt and boxers – he wasn’t sure if Guan Shan would want to wear them, but you can never be too cautious – lying beside the sleeping beauty, He Tian finally had time to freak the fuck out.

First things first. Mo Guan Shan, Don’t Close Mountain, red ball of fluff, Little Mo, the one who was missing for over a week, making everybody around him worry and think of the worst, was miraculously back. Not only back, but of all places he could have chosen to go first, he had to give He Tian’s heart the last love blow and go there. Which lead to the question of how Guan Shan passed through He Tian’s locked door – does he know how to pick locks? – and security system, all of that without waking anyone up.

Second things second. Why was Guan Shan naked? He Tian had enough confidence to say he knew Guan Shan well enough to be sure Guan Shan wouldn’t just drop down on He Tian’s bed in all of his naked glory. Not because Guan Shan would think He Tian would be capable of attacking him – okay, maybe he would think that, but just a little – but more because he was naturally a shy boy, and it didn’t matter how tired he was, he would search for something to cover himself with before doing anything. Besides, Guan Shan would never sleep on the same bed as He Tian, he would rather take the couch and wake up with back pain than share a bed with He Tian.

Third things third. The apartment was oddly quiet. With the amount of noise He Tian did while getting out of bed, moving the blankets up Guan Shan’s body and searching for clothes, He Tian was one hundred percent sure Little Mo – the cat – would have woken up. But apparently he didn’t, which made He Tian look for him. And Little Mo was nowhere to be found. Not on the couch – his favorite spot. Not on He Tian’s bed – his recent new sleeping spot. Not eating by the kitchen counter. Not hiding under the bed. With doors locked, He Tian **knew** there was nowhere a cat could have gone on his own.

Little Mo had vanished in thin air, and He Tian didn’t know how.

Unless he did.

Memories of security tapes flooded He Tian’s mind as he remembered the faint orange blur in a few of the cameras he watched, and slowly the missing piece completed Mo Guan Shan’s disappearance’s puzzle.

He Tian didn’t believe in magic, but the fact that his cat was nowhere to be found and Guan Shan was asleep – and naked, has he added this information already? – on the very last spot He Tian saw his cat was enough to make his brain short-circuit and believe anything anyone told him.

Little Mo was Guan Shan, that was the only explanation.

Which lead to a lot of cringe because of everything that happened during those previous days.

He Tian **needed** to talk to someone.

“ _Hello_.” A sluggish voice greeted from the other side of the line.

“Didn’t mean to wake you up, but I needed to talk to someone.” He Tian said in a rush as soon as he found his voice.

“ _What happened?”_

But before He Tian could answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder – and goddamn that scared the shit out of him, but he would never confess it. Turning around he saw what he would classify the cutest and purest sight he had ever seen during his entire life, which was Guan Shan wearing his clothes while yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes – _I need to have this boy all to myself, OH. MY. GOD._

“G-guan Shan?” He stuttered. He Tian. Stuttered. What happened to the universe? Was there a bug in the matrix?

“Morning.” Guan Shan said, way too nonchalant for He Tian’s brain to accept, and turned around, going to the kitchen and messing with the cupboards.

“ _Am I still sleeping or was that Redhead’s voice?_ ”

“He’s back, Jian Yi.” He Tian took a deep breath. “Guan Shan is back, and safe, not even a scratch.” And well, He Tian knew it too well; he had seen the boy naked after all.

“ _That’s awesome!_ ” Jian Yi exclaimed, now in his usual cheerful persona. “ _Unless it isn’t? It is, isn’t it?_ ”

“I don’t know how to deal with it.” He Tian answered, and as he was about to continue talking, Guan Shan appeared in the living room once more.

“We gotta go grocery, I forgot you just had instant noodles.”

Why did it look like they were a married couple all of a sudden with this way too domestic situation?

“Sure.” He Tian said to Guan Shan, and then went back to Jian Yi. “Gotta go, see you at school.” Before Jian Yi could say anything, He Tian hung up. “Oi, Guan Shan.” He Tian scratched the back of his ear, uncertain.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you think we have to, you know, talk?”

“I guess we do.” Guan Shan chuckled and He Tian could feel a cupid’s arrow cross his heart once more and make it thump against his ribcage, he was in deep. It was the first time He Tian had seen Guan Shan smile; it was way too pure for this world. “I worried everybody, I’m sorry.”

“Forget about the worry part.” He Tian mumbled. “Where were you?”

“Well, it’s gonna sound crazy,” as Guan Shan began talking, He Tian knew what he was going to say, still, he didn’t feel like he was ready to hear it, “but I was here this whole time.” And there it was, He Tian’s confirmation.

“So you **were** the cat.” He Tian’s legs faltered and he dropped on the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Yes.”

“That’s insane.” He Tian muttered, feeling Guan Shan sit beside him, but not having the heart to look at Guan Shan.

“I know.” Guan Shan answered. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

Now **that** was weird.

He Tian’s brow arched and he looked back at Guan Shan. He didn’t feel like this whole cat experience would be enough to change Guan Shan the way it seemed to have changed, but He Tian wasn’t complaining. Of course, he was all in for a sweet talking and rather honest Guan Shan, even if it felt too good to be true.

Still, he had more important stuff to care about at that moment.

“How much do you remember?” He Tian asked, inwardly praying for Guan Shan’s memories to be hazy.

“Pretty much everything.”

Those three words echoed in He Tian’s mind.

Pretty.

Much.

Everything.

That meant Guan Shan remembered He Tian giving him a bath, having nightmares, playing with him to calm down, petting him, crying desperately, confessing, _jerking off_.

He Tian realized that day was **the first day for everything** day, because it was also the first day in He Tian’s life that he felt embarrassed enough to consider hiding under his bed and never coming out of there.

“It’s fine.” Guan Shan said moments later.

“But,” He Tian hesitated, “it’s… Embarrassing.”

“I did embarrassing stuff too.” Guan Shan shrugged and He Tian was even more weirded out. “I mean, I was conscious the whole time and I chased a red dot, and I let you pet me.” He shook his head. “I mean, when would I let you do such a thing without trying to punch you?”

Guan Shan was right. Both of them had acted out of character.

“I need to see mom, she must be dead worried.”

“She is.” He Tian massaged his temples, trying to soothe the headache he was having at that moment. “But how did you become a cat?”

“There’s a witch in our school.” Guan Shan answered. “Or at least I think she’s a witch.”

“What did she do?”

“She came to me with a bag of cookies, asked me to eat them, but I refused.” Guan Shan sighed. “And then she literally shoved them down my throat.” He shrugged as if shoving cookies down ones throat was the most common thing in the world. “After cleaning duty, I got transformed.”

“And then?”

“I went home first, but mom is allergic to cats, so I couldn’t stay. The witch cornered me and I accepted going with her and fell asleep, but when I woke up I was here.”

“Which means she dropped you here while you were asleep.” He Tian mumbled and Guan Shan nodded. “So it was like she _wanted_ me to take care of you.”

“Or so it seems.”

“Why?”

“Do I look like I know?” Even though Guan Shan’s words were supposed to be rude, his tone wasn’t, nor was his expression, and He Tian was more and more unsettled. “But that’s the least of my problems right now.”

“And what’s the biggest one?” He Tian asked.

“I missed a lot of classes and I don’t have a reasonable excuse, besides that, I know you guys were looking for me this past few days, which means everybody is going to be asking me where I was.”

“You’re right about people wondering where you were, but knowing you, I don’t think anyone will ask you anything.” He Tian chuckled.

“Oh, yeah, people don’t get near me usually.”

“Just the crazy ones do.”

“What about school, though? They won’t believe I was a cat all this time.” Guan Shan sighed again. “Our best shot would be them locking me in an asylum and throwing the key away.”

“Oh, the school matter is actually taken care of.” He Tian said, looking at Guan Shan as his expression changed to pure confusion.

“How?”

“Your mom told them you were on medical leave.” He Tian explained.

“Why would she tell them that?”

“She wanted to contact the school about your disappearance at first, ask them for help.” He Tian said. “But how the situation was way too weird, I initially asked her not to, give you another day, you know?”

Guan Shan remained quiet, so He Tian took it as a cue to keep talking.

“Then I watched the security cameras and something smelled really fishy, because you were nowhere to be found, it was like you had just disappeared in thin air.” He Tian took a deep breath. “So I asked your mom to tell the school you were on medical leave and promised her I’d find you and bring you back to her.”

“You actually did this for me?”

“You know why I did it, and you know I’d do it again.” He Tian leaned on the couch backrest, his eyes focused on a random spot on the ceiling. It was like He Tian was confessing all over again.

“Fuck.” Guan Shan cussed and He Tian smiled at the grand come back of Guan Shan’s potty mouth. What he wasn’t ready for, was the follow up. “I could kiss you right now.”

And for the second time that day, He Tian.exe stopped working.

Once He Tian.exe had been rebooted, he decided to change the subject.

“Anyway, your mom still thinks you’re missing, you should see her.”

“Oh, you’re right.” Guan Shan agreed, and He Tian’s not uneasy half wanted to hug and protect such pure being. “Come with me?” He added, explaining why right afterwards. “I guess it’s gonna be easier for her to believe me if you are there.”

“Oh, right, yeah.” He Tian stammered. “Let me just change and we can go.”

Roughly twenty minutes later both Guan Shan and He Tian were sitting side by side on Guan Shan’s couch. After Guan Shan’s mother had hugged him, crying like there was no tomorrow and repeated she loved him at least a thousand times, she finally let the boys explain what had happened.

Considering the fact that Guan Shan went home and his mom had given him some milk to drink, she accepted the fact that Guan Shan had been turned into a cat fairly well, and thanked He Tian for asking her not to contact the school, as well as taking good care of her son. Guan Shan left He Tian and his mom talking at some point, excusing himself to take a well-deserved shower, which lead to Guan Shan’s mother asking if her son had given He Tian any trouble.

He Tian knew Guan Shan had given him a whole lot of trouble while he was a cat, but He Tian decided to lie and tell her he was actually a well behaved cat – barely knew He Tian that Guan Shan would tell his mother the truth just a few hours later and she would laugh carefree, thinking about how He Tian wanted to keep Guan Shan’s image in front of his mother, the person who probably knew him the best.

Later that day Jian Yi and Zheng Xi – He Tian was still there, of course – visited Guan Shan, all of them ignoring it was a school day and they were missing classes. The wonder duo was also told about the cat situation by He Tian, since they would believe it blindly after seeing the ginger cat at He Tian’s home, as well as how ill-behaved he was.

The day went by slowly, and when He Tian came back to his apartment, he felt those waves of loneliness washing over him once again, and he seriously thought about visiting a shelter and getting a pet – but dropped the idea moments later, when he remembered the mess Guan Shan had done until he accepted his fate.

Putting loneliness aside and smiling to the fact that Guan Shan was safe and sound, He Tian sprawled his body across his huge bed and, for the first time in days, had a nice and calm night of sleep.

He Tian could worry about Guan Shan acting strange on the following day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: It's purrsonality.
> 
> Have I had success in making the mood lighter? Was it funny? It was supposed to be funny HAHAHA.
> 
> This one was slightly smaller than the previous, but I needed that not to mix stuff that I wanted here and on chapter 06, so bear with me haha.
> 
> Don't be shy and tell me what you're thinking through the comments, and if you think I deserve it, leave me kudos <3 They surely make my day!
> 
> See you next chapter~
> 
> Pops' Out~


	7. 06 - Paw He Tian is dazed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guan Shan is acting weird and He Tian still doesn't know how to deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello~
> 
> I was actually planning on updating only by Tuesday or so, but how I'm travelling tomorrow and I'll only be back on Wednesday and I felt like spoiling you all, I decided to post chapter 6 today.
> 
> Nothing really going on in this chapter, just a little insight on why Guan Shan is acting weird and whatnot, but important chapter nonetheless.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Q.: What’s it called when a cat paints itself?

On the following school day, He Tian decided to pick Guan Shan up.

Although he had said nobody would get near Guan Shan to ask him what happened because of his bellicose nature, He Tian knew Guan Shan was acting weird and that people would maybe see this as an opening to come closer and bury Guan Shan in questions he would probably not want to answer. Or at least that was what He Tian told himself was the reason behind walking to school with Guan Shan – it wasn’t like he was afraid a witch would curse his red ball of fluff again, of course not.

Guan Shan, and at that point He Tian wasn’t sure if it was surprising or not, didn’t cuss at He Tian for picking him up, and instead only said he appreciated the worry – even though He Tian hadn’t said a thing, Guan Shan had read him like an open book. He Tian had to work on his masks again, they were starting to crumble. So both boys just walked side by side, hands gripping on backpacks straps and eyes looking at the road, in an unusual and oddly comfortable silence.

When they finally got to school, things went partially as He Tian guessed they would. Being beside Guan Shan and glaring at every single person who even made a subtle movement towards them, He Tian successfully managed to keep any curious strays away, but of course the glaring didn’t stop the stares both of them received as they walked inside school grounds.

Dealing with people days prior, He Tian was aware everybody was curious of Guan Shan’s whereabouts – at least ten people daily had asked He Tian what the hell had happened to Guan Shan – as well as if He Tian had found him, or what Guan Shan was doing to have the school’s star search for him.

“They’re all looking at me.” Guan Shan muttered as they crossed the building’s doors.

“You were gone for like a week, and some of them saw the missing posters.”

“What do I do?”

“You are like, the unfriendliest person in the school.” He Tian chuckled. “Just keep being yourself.”

“I can’t.” Guan Shan said, turning to look at He Tian.

“What do you mean?” He Tian’s question remained unanswered, as the first bell rang and Guan Shan went to his own classroom.

Guan Shan’s last words kept echoing inside He Tian’s mind as the lessons dragged in, and before he could realize it was already lunch time, and there were at least a dozen girls babbling around his desk, trying to get his attention. Slowly entering his usual gentleman character, He Tian smirked at the girls are started to try and pay attention to what they were actually saying – he didn’t want to, though, he wanted to run away and find Guan Shan, talk to him and enjoy his company.

“So what happened to student Guan Shan?” A girl asked.

“That’s his business.” He Tian answered softly. “Good thing he’s okay, right?”

“I mean,” another one said, “the school’s faculty told us he was sick, but we saw the missing posters across the city.”

“He didn’t tell me where he was at, or what happened to him, if that’s what you’re insinuating.” He Tian smiled, trying to melt the girls’ hearts and change the subject. “We all know Guan Shan is not the type of person who shares.”

“Some girls from 8-3 said he told them they wouldn’t believe him.” Another girl commented and He Tian could start to feel a twitch on his left brow. “They also said he was being nice, like he wasn’t screaming at them or anything.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like him.” He Tian said between gritted teeth. “Are you sure those girls were saying the truth?”

“You were the one walking with him this morning, you know the best.”

“Guan Shan was acting just like usual.” He Tian lied. “There was nothing wrong with him, I guess those girls from 8-3 are just babbling nonsense.” He smiled once more, praying for it not to be too forced, and stood up. “Now if you excuse me, I need to go.”

Luckily, the girls didn’t ask He Tian where he was going, so his walk towards the courtyard was rather calm. As He Tian had guessed, Guan Shan was sitting by the basketball court, watching as Jian Yi and Zheng Xi played with some other people from their grade, while sipping on a juice box. He Tian sat beside Guan Shan, just leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his chin on his hand, while observing the boys playing.

“You never answered my question.” He Tian said at some point.

“It’s weird.” Guan Shan whispered. “It’s like I’m not myself, I don’t know.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“I want to be mad, to scream.” Guan Shan explained. “I can feel the anger inside of me and I can also feel that I’ll explode at any given moment.” He stopped, probably thinking about what to say next. “But then it just goes away.”

“So it’s like something is making you calm forcefully?”

“Not only calm.” Guan Shan said. “But like, truthful as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like I can’t lie.” Guan Shan huffed, and he seemed genuinely frustrated when He Tian looked at him. “I can omit stuff if I try hard enough, but I can’t lie.”

“So if I asked you any question right now, you’d tell me the answer truthfully?”

“I guess so.” Guan Shan frowned and He Tian realized how much he had missed those wrinkles on his brows.

“That seems harsh.”

“It’s bad dealing with people, because they keep asking me where I was and I can’t lie, so I have to use all of my strength to tell them they wouldn’t believe the truth and hope they leave me alone after that.”

“It’s working?”

“So far, yes.”

“Well, we’re teenagers, soon they’ll find something else to be curious about and leave you alone.” He Tian placed his hand on Guan Shan’s head, surprised when the latter didn’t even flinch nor tried to move it away. “Just bear with it for now.”

“I am.” Guan Shan sighed.

“Cook dinner for me tonight?” He Tian decided to change the subject. “I miss your food.”

“Yeah, sure, you do need to eat something that ain’t instant noodles.”

He Tian smiled and ruffled Guan Shan’s hair. Sure, this sincere and calm Guan Shan was the weirdest thing he had ever witnessed, but although he low-key missed the usual volatile Mo, it certainly was nice to be able to see Guan Shan smile and look carefree, at least for once in his life. It was nice to see Guan Shan’s deredere side, instead of the typical – and most of the time annoying – tsuntsun.

After long minutes of silence, the bell rang, announcing the end of the lunch break. He Tian and Guan Shan walked side by side back to their respective classrooms, but this time not really dragging anyone’s attention. People were starting to get used to the fact that He Tian would always hang around Guan Shan recently, and some of them just decided to ignore the fact that Guan Shan wasn’t being a yappy little bitch about it like he usually were.

Hours later, when the last bell rang, He Tian started organizing his school materials in his bag, thinking of what he wanted Guan Shan to cook for him. He absent-mindedly answered some questions the girls who were still sticking around that late were asking him, which made him not realize Guan Shan was also in the classroom. If He Tian could put a definition of happiness, this definition would certainly include the feeling of when your crush comes looking for you.

He Tian just ignored the nagging in the back of his head that repeated that Guan Shan wasn’t doing that out of his own volition, but rather because there was something really weird going on with him.

Once He Tian was ready and the few girls had already gone, both boys started making their way out of the classroom and the school building, heading to the subway. What they weren’t waiting for – but He Tian could’ve guessed it was a possibility – was to find both Jian Yi and Zheng Xi there, waiting for the next train to arrive.

“He Tian! Redhead!” Jian Yi exclaimed in his natural bubbly self, waving obnoxiously and dragging everybody’s attention to him. “Such a déjà vu, isn’t it?”

“It is.” He Tian answered, his usual smirk sitting on his lips. “Especially because Little Mo over here is cooking for me today.”

“What?” Jian Yi put his hand on his chest and faked betrayal. “And you didn’t even call us?” He whined. “Come on, I wanna eat Redhead’s cooking too!”

“Is it okay to bring them?” He Tian asked Guan Shan, temporarily forgetting Guan Shan was prone to give his most honest opinion about the matter.

“Yes, of course, it’s nice having them too.”

“Oh.” Jian Yi’s mouth gaped and his eyes widened. “My.” He had both of his hands on his cheeks, completely baffled. “God.” He finished by looking at He Tian with utter confusion. “What the hell happened to him?” And then he pointed at Guan Shan.

“He’s just more honest than usual.” He Tian answered trying to forge nonchalance as best as he could, so Jian Yi wouldn’t make a big deal of it, or try to take advantage of it.

“I can’t lie.” But of course, Guan Shan seemed to want to dig his own grave.

“Wait a minute, so that means anything I ask you, you’re gonna answer me honestly?”

“Most likely, yes. I can still omit stuff, though.”

“Heh, good to know.” He Tian didn’t like that sly smile Jian Yi had, He Tian didn’t like one bit of it.

The rest of the train ride, as well as grocery shopping, went rather uneventfully. Zheng Xi ended up controlling Jian Yi’s blabbermouth by whispering something He Tian couldn’t quite grasp, but was still thankful it worked. So that lead to the four boys carrying two grocery bags each – apparently Guan Shan wanted to take advantage of the extra help they had available to fill He Tian’s cupboards – to He Tian’s apartment.

Once they were there, Guan Shan excused himself to the kitchen, probably to place the bought goods in the cupboards and fridge so he could finally fix them dinner, which resulted in He Tian, Jian Yi and Zheng Xi sitting on the couch and looking at each other with expressions that could only be read as ‘ _What do we do?_ ’

“Do you think the fact that he was a cat before influenced in it?” Zheng Xi, the rational one, asked.

“I actually have no idea.” He Tian sighed. “I guess we can only be sure if we actually ask Guan Shan that.”

“Can I do the asking?” Jian Yi pleaded with puppy eyes, trying to melt He Tian and Zheng Xi’s hearts – and actually succeeding.

“I guess Guan Shan will be less pissed if it were you doing the asking when he’s back to normal.” He Tian pondered out loud. “Since you’re always sticking your nose everywhere anyways.”

“I can’t help it.” He giggled. “It’s my nature and I won’t deny it.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He Tian shook his head, wondering how Zheng Xi had managed to deal with Jian Yi for so long. Maybe the answer was in the time spent together after all. “Just don’t go overboard with the questions, ok?”

“Yes sir!” Jian Yi mockingly saluted He Tian, earning eye rolls from both the latter and Zheng Xi.

The three of them kept on talking – Jian Yi was the one doing most of the talking, but details – about random things that, for once, didn’t involve Guan Shan. Jian Yi asked He Tian about his high school plans, and told He Tian it would be nice if the four of them tried the same one, since their middle school days had been much more exciting since the four of them had started to hang out together.

He Tian hadn’t really thought about it, since he knew that decision wasn’t that important to him. Having basically his all life decided ever since he came back from the visit He Tian paid to his father, something like high school seemed oddly unimportant. Of course, talking to Jian Yi about it made He Tian think that, even though the university he was going to enroll was already decided, he could at least try and have fun for three more years with Jian Yi, Zheng Xi and most importantly, Guan Shan.

The dwelling didn’t last long, though, as Guan Shan called the three of them, telling them the food was ready and the table set, and that all they needed to do was eat. Just like the previous time they ate at He Tian’s, Jian Yi didn’t let He Tian sit beside Guan Shan, taking that place for himself instead. If He Tian were to guess, he would say Jian Yi just wanted to have a front view of Zheng Xi’s face at all possible times.

“So, Redhead.” Jian Yi said between bites. “How did you even got turned into a cat?” He asked, making He Tian recall he didn’t let Jian Yi touch the subject during the previous day.

“There’s a girl in our school who, I don’t know, is a witch?”

“That sounds so cool!” Jian Yi exclaimed, earning scolding glares from both He Tian and Zheng Xi. “I mean, horrible! It sounds horrible!”

“As long as she doesn’t go after anyone else, I guess it’s okay.” Guan Shan shrugged. “Not like anyone will believe us if we tell them about her.”

“Hn, I guess.” Jian Yi hummed, eating a few more chicken cubes after talking again. “But how was the experience?”

“Weird, mostly.” Guan Shan answered as he placed his chopsticks on the chopstick holder, leaning his chin on his palm. “Being a cat in this city is not easy, that I can tell.”

“Oh, did you go through some hardships?”

“Got chased by the security at school, the douche even hit me with a broom.” Guan Shan then started telling his odyssey up until the time He Tian started taking care of him, now telling details He Tian wasn’t aware of.

He Tian could feel his brow twitching in annoyance every single time some human was involved, and deep down he started plotting some revenge plans to make the security guard suffer. Nobody hurts his Little Mo and gets away with it, nobody.

“But staying here was the weirdest experience of all.” Guan Shan said at some point. “Although I guess it was also kinda nice too.”

“Why?”

“I mean, He Tian can barely take care of himself, so I was always wondering what would happen with me.” Guan Shan chuckled and He Tian sighed at the sight, partially not wanting for this cute Guan Shan to be gone. “Apparently taking care of a cat is easier, so he managed it. But the weird part was seeing sides of him he doesn’t show people, you know?”

“Oh?” Jian Yi’s eyes shone with mischievousness and he opened a sly smile. “Which sides he showed you?”

“Really pathetic ones.” Guan Shan then laughed, making He Tian want to hug him and punch him at the same time, but for different reasons. “But still, I think it was needed, you know? For him to show someone that he’s actually human.”

“What?” He Tian then asked, confused at the sudden serious expression being directed at him. “Wait, what?”

“You know, you’re always looking at me, reprimanding me because I want to carry the world on my shoulders.” Guan Shan explained. “Because I want to face everything on my own and I don’t want help.” He then picked his chopsticks once more, poking the chicken bits in the bowl. “But you’re no different from me.”

He Tian’s heartbeat skyrocketed. Everybody was so quiet that he wondered if the other three could actually hear it.

“You’re always smiling like there’s nothing wrong going on, like your life is perfect and you have nothing to complain about, like you are immune to suffering unlike other people.” Guan Shan then picked a chicken cube and looked deep inside He Tian’s eyes, only talking again once he had swallowed the food. “But now I know better how to see the real you under all of that façade.”

“Oh, wow.” Jian Yi then broke the awkward silence that was hovering over them. “I understand He Tian, though.” Jian Yi then laughed, half-heartedly. “We all want to show the others our better sides, don’t we?”

“Not me.” Guan Shan shrugged. “I stopped giving a fuck about what people think of me a long time ago.”

When He Tian noticed Jian Yi was going to ask what happened for Guan Shan to stop caring, he pinched Jian Yi’s side under the table, in a place nobody would see. Jian Yi jumped a little, feeling startled, and looked at He Tian, who shook his head in a mute plead for Jian Yi not to ask it. Thankfully, Jian Yi got the message and changed the subject, asking Guan Shan what was his favorite thing to do while he was a cat.

“Scratch the hell out of He Tian, definitely.” He chuckled. “It was really nice knowing I could actually hurt him AND get away with it, at least once in my life.”

“So you **were** doing it on purpose.” He Tian slitted his eyes, judging Guan Shan.

“I was, and it was fun.” Guan Shan’s smile then softened. “I’m sorry, though, I had my fun and all, but it was still mean.”

“N-no biggies.” He Tian stuttered, once again heart-struck by Guan Shan’s smile.

He Tian just ignored how Jian Yi was trying his best to hold his laugh and Zheng Xi looked at him with a raised brow, silently telling He Tian how his gay was overflowing.

Minutes later the four of them had finished eating and both Jian Yi and Zheng Xi had already said their goodbyes and gone back home, leaving Guan Shan and He Tian alone at He Tian’s home. For a while the only sound in the apartment was the running tap and the scrubbing of dishes, which Guan Shan was washing. It was only about ten minutes later – or maybe not even that much – that Guan Shan went back to the living room, picking his usual yellow backpack and throwing it over his shoulder.

“I made enough for you to have something to eat for breakfast and dinner tomorrow, and breakfast the day after. I can come and cook some more when you’re out of leftovers, ok?”

“Sure.” He Tian answered, still drinking this soft and nice Guan Shan. “Thank you.”

“Take this as my thanks since you took care of me before. It’s the least I can do.” He then turned around and went to the front door, opening it and turning around before going through it. “See you tomorrow.” And before He Tian could answer, Guan Shan was gone.eHehh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: A self paw-trait.
> 
> So here we have it, more of OOC Guan Shan, He Tian still weirded out, Jian Yi being curious and Zheng Xi being the only normal person in their group of friends. AKA just the usual HAHAH.
> 
> Don't be shy and leave me a comment, critiques are also welcome :3
> 
> See you all in the next chapter!
> 
> Pops' Out~


	8. 07 - Purrversion comes in all shapes and sizes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He Tian is done with Guan Shan's new persona, so he decides to act.  
> Jian Yi, on the other hand, takes advantage to learn Guan Shan's real opinions about the whole squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back from the trip and I had a blast!
> 
> I'll just ignore the pain on my sunburnt skin because, well, it will heal eventually.
> 
> Now that I am back, I can give to you guys yet another chapter.
> 
> Things are slowly getting more serious again, but I guess I could keep the mood light with Jian Yi's shenanigans.
> 
> Without further ado, onto the chapter we go~
> 
> Q.: Did you hear about the cat who swallowed a ball of yarn?

On the following day, He Tian cornered – but not exactly, since Guan Shan was really willing lately – Guan Shan as soon as the bell announcing the lunch break rang, not wasting a single minute of it. After thinking for so long while lying on that way too spacious and lonely bed of his, He Tian had finally decided it was about time he put an end to whatever was happening to Guan Shan.

Yes, a nice, honest and soft Guan Shan was everything He Tian wanted and even more, but He Tian wanted Guan Shan to act like this out of his own will, and not because of... Whatever was happening to him.

“Do you have any guesses about what’s happening with you?” He Tian decided to cut to the chase.

“Are you talking about my incapability of getting mad?” Guan Shan asked, furrowing his brows in what could be annoyance, but was most likely to be frustration.

“That and your honesty.” He Tian clarified. “So do you or don’t you?” He repeated.

“I didn’t stop to think about it, actually.” Guan Shan shrugged, making He Tian think all of that was even weirder. “It isn’t really bothering me, and people are treating me better, so why would I want to make it stop?”

“There’s definitely something wrong.” He Tian spat, scaring Guan Shan a little.

“Why do you think this is so wrong?”

“Why?” He Tian huffed, partially in a mocking laugh. “That’s really simple, let me show you.” He Tian then sent a message to Jian Yi, who was sitting at their table just two minutes later.

“What’s up?” Jian Yi said and Zheng Xi – who was tagging along, obviously – only nodded once.

“Guan Shan.” He Tian cleaned his throat, getting the attention from the other three boys who were starting to eat their lunch. “If I asked you, right now, to kiss me, would you?”

He Tian could see the person who got the most surprised by the question at that right moment was not Guan Shan nor Zheng Xi, but Jian Yi. Of course, He Tian knew Jian Yi was aware of his feelings towards Guan Shan, Zheng Xi did too, actually, but he also knew Jian Yi would never see such a bold ask coming like this, out of nowhere.

“You know the answer to that question.” Guan Shan answered in a mutter, which made He Tian just a little bit mad. He wanted Guan Shan’s sincerity that time, not the omission.

“Answer my question properly; it’s either yes or no.”

“Fine.” Guan Shan rolled his eyes. “Yes, I would. Happy now?”

Now He Tian just had to wait.

About sixteen seconds later, after what could have been seen as an eternity of hearing Jian Yi’s gears turning inside his head, He Tian observed as Jian Yi’s eyes slowly widened, as well as his mouth gaped, suddenly getting up from the chair – which made it drop on the floor – and basically getting the attention of every single person inside the school’s cafeteria at that moment.

“WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY FRIEND?”

“That’s my point, Guan Shan.” He Tian said after Jian Yi had been calmed down by Zheng Xi and dismissively waved at the people who were still looking at them. “Even if you really wanted to kiss me, you’d never agree to it that easily, especially in a room full of people.”

“I know I wouldn’t, but you asked me to answer it, so I did.” Guan Shan tried defending himself, but both Jian Yi and Zheng Xi were shaking their heads.

“That’s not really you, though.” He Tian argued. “We got drawn to you because of your strong will and personality, and now it’s just like you’re an average collected person. Come on, Guan Shan, I fell for the cussing screaming beast, who would rather die before admitting to want any source of physical contact with another human being that doesn’t involve a fight.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“For starters, answer my first question.”

“What was your first question?” Jian Yi asked, curious.

“If he had a hunch on why he was acting like this.” He Tian repeated.

“And as I said before, I didn’t think about it.” He Tian was about to interrupt Guan Shan with a rude remark, but he was stopped by a palm asking him to wait. “But,” and that seemed enough to make He Tian pay attention, “our best guess would be the girl who cursed me initially.”

“Seems reasonable.” Zheng Xi agreed. “If she cursed him into becoming a cat, it probably wouldn’t be hard for her to make Redhead completely honest.”

“Okay, I can accept that.” He Tian said. “But that raise other two questions.” He added as the others observed his two raised fingers. “One: why would she do that? And two: who is she?”

“Maybe she doesn’t like Redhead?” Jian Yi guessed, which made everyone ponder and accept it was an actual reason that could drive someone.

“She offered me cookies; maybe she did like me but got pissed because I refused to eat them?” Guan Shan countered.

“Or maybe the whole thing was an act because the curse was within the cookies.” He Tian added. “You did tell me you only got transformed after eating the cookies, right?”

“A lot of time after.” Guan Shan answered. “I’m only sure she’s involved because she talked to me while I was a cat, directly, knowing who I was and possibly why I was like that.”

“So we can’t scratch the possibility of the cookies being tampered with.” Jian Yi said.

“We shouldn’t.” Zheng Xi corrected.

“What about her identity?” He Tian then asked. “Do you know who she is?”

“She never told me her name, but I’ve seen her hanging around the floor below ours, so I guess she’s a grade below us?”

“How does she look like?”

“Hnn...” Guan Shan thought for a moment, probably recalling her appearance inside his memories. “About a head smaller than me, black hair, big eyes that scream evil.”

“You’ve just described half of the girls in the school.” Jian Yi commented in mock.

“Any accessories? Details that could make her easier to find?”

“The day she offered me the cookies she was wearing a pink beanie.” Guan Shan murmured, and moments later he hit his fist on the table, probably because he had remembered something else. “And she wasn’t wearing sneakers like the majority of us, she was wearing loafers.”

“I can work with that.” He Tian smiled, ruffling Guan Shan’s hair with his left hand. “We’re gonna find her and bring you back to normal.”

“Okay, now that that’s done.” Jian Yian interrupted the moment, pointing his chopsticks at Guan Shan. “I wanna ask you a few things while you’re still honest.”

“More?”

“Yeah, but it ain’t about the cat stuff.” Jian Yi explained. “I was thinking yesterday about, you know, everybody, so I guess I got curious about your opinion on some people.”

“Like who?”

“Hnn, for starters, I guess Xiao Hui.” Jian Yi said.

“I don’t know who Xiao Hui is.” Guan Shan deadpanned and He Tian muffled a chuckle when Jian Yi rolled his eyes.

“She’s the girl who took the picture that saved your ass.” Zheng Xi clarified.

“Oh.” Guan Shan seemed to know who they’re talking about. “I’ve never talked to her, how am I supposed to have an opinion on her?”

“Okay, fair.” Jian Yi moved his head from left to right. “What about that boy who hangs around you every now and then?”

“You mean Buzzcut?” To what Jian Yi nodded, and He Tian could see he had recognized they were talking about the same person because of the boy’s hairstyle. “At first it was more of an underling and boss kind of relationship.” Guan Shan answered, earning a subtle gasp from Jian Yi. “But I can tell he cares about me as a friend.” He smiled. “I mean, the last few times he’s talked to me, he didn’t want me to get in trouble, and the other time he was asking me about my love life. Pretty mundane, and definitely not something you talk about with your boss.”

“So you do have a friend who isn’t us.” Jian Yi clapped his hands. He Tian wasn’t sure if he was genuinely happy or just mocking, sometimes Jian Yi was hard to read. “What about She Li?” The name made He Tian’s face contort into a sour expression, and surprisingly so did Guan Shan’s.

“I thought he was my friend, I thought that for once someone really wanted to help me, you know.” He spat, clearly angry – which made He Tian wonder why his anger wasn’t being appalled at that moment. “He’s just a crafty little snake who likes to plot against people and pretend he likes them.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” He Tian said, making the other three chuckle.

“Okay, okay.” Jian Yi, clearly excited with all the new information, kept going. “What about Zhan Xixi?” And once Zheng Xi noticed his name being brought up, he stopped eating and started paying closer attention.

“I guess before saying what I think about you,” Guan Shan said, addressing directly at Zheng Xi, “I should apologize. I hurt you and I do feel sorry about it.”

“And you know you’re already forgiven, so spare us of this mushy stuff.” Zheng Xi shrugged, his nonchalance rivaling He Tian’s.

“I think you are a genuine nice person. Like with a real kind heart, the type we can’t find everywhere.” Guan Shan then answered the question, averting his gaze from everybody else and looking down. “You forgave me when I hadn’t even said sorry, and you defended me when I said I didn’t want to. You’re a really good friend, Jian Yi’s really lucky.”

He Tian wondered if he was the only one to tell the slight widened Zheng Xi’s eyes made, as well as the faint blush creeping on his cheeks. He Tian just didn’t feel threatened of Zheng Xi falling for Guan Shan at that right moment because he knew how smitten he was for Jian Yi.

“Thanks.” Zheng Xi muttered, restarting to eat and not looking anybody in the eye for the rest of the meal.

“What about me? What about me?” Jian Yi than asked excitedly, pointing at himself like the fool he were.

“You’re also nice.” Guan Shan answered. “Sometimes I wanna punch you in the face until you shut up and get away from my personal space, but you don’t mean anything bad.” He added. “I wish I had known you guys–” and then He Tian noticed Guan Shan was referring to the three of them “–through better circumstances.”

“Maybe it was the circumstances that got us here.” Jian Yi shrugged, happy with the answer he got. “You are really nice yourself, Guan Shan, don’t put yourself down.” But soon Jian Yi’s smile became sly. “So that leads us to the star of the show,” he drummed on the table with his index fingers, creating a mood, “what about He–” but before he could finish, He Tian interrupted him.

“That’s enough, Jian Yi.” He Tian said. “You’ve already invaded way too much of his privacy, let him be.”

“Don’t you wanna know?”

“Wanting to know doesn’t mean it has to happen right now.” He Tian sighed, thanking the heavens when his prayers were answered and the bell rang. “Now let’s head back to class, ok?”

Once class was over, He Tian messaged Guan Shan, telling him to go home with Zheng Xi and Jian Yi, saying he had errands to run at school. He Tian didn’t mention what he was going to do, but he believed in Guan Shan’s wit to guess right, and leave him alone for the time being, at least. So before anyone could stop him, He Tian went directly to the security guard and asked to watch that faithful day’s camera recording again.

However, instead of looking for Guan Shan, He Tian trained his eyes to look for any trace of pink beanies he could find, changing cameras to try and look for something that showed people’s faces and after two long hours and a very annoyed security guard – who deserved a beating for have hit Guan Shan when he was a cat – telling him he had to go faster, He Tian found her.

One grade below, just like Guan Shan guessed. Pink beanie and brown loafers. Angelic face but demonic expression. After matching faces with the school’s student database, He Tian saw who was the girl he was looking for: Li Bei Bei. Ah, sometimes it was handy being rich and influent.

-

It was only during the lunchtime of the following day that He Tian acted. He had lunch as fast as he could; excusing himself shortly after he was done. Nobody asked where he was heading to, but He Tian would be lying if he said he didn’t see Guan Shan looking at him with that glint in his eyes that meant he wanted to ask something, but wouldn’t if not asked what he wanted. So He Tian just left the other three talking to each other – mostly Jian Yi talking to the others – and went on his quest.

Finding Bei Bei – luckily – wasn’t as hard as He Tian thought. Firstly because she had picked that day to wear that bright pink beanie again and secondly because Bei Bei had chosen to eat at the classroom, surrounded by seemingly average girls who talked loudly about something He Tian definitely didn’t care.

He approached her table slowly, startling two of the girls when he cleaned his throat, getting the girls’ attention.

“Li Bei Bei?” He Tian asked, ignoring the whispers of the stunned girls pondering with each other what He Tian was doing in their classroom and what he could possibly want with Bei Bei. “I need to talk to you.”

Bei Bei smiled. That one sick and twisted smile.

“Took you long enough, huh.” She said, excusing herself with her friends and following He Tian to a calmer place of the building. “I thought I would have to keep wearing this dumb beanie for the rest of the school year.”

“I’m gonna be straight with you.” He Tian spat, and Bei Bei snorted, repeating the _straight_ with a mocking tone. “Why did you do that to Guan Shan?”

“I didn’t do anything to anyone, he brought that to himself.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Come on, upperclassman He Tian, you two are so oblivious about each other, you needed a little push, y’know?” She snickered, making He Tian understand why Guan Shan would get angry so easily. That girl was pushing his buttons by talking in puzzles.

“Be clearer, damn it.”

“I’ve watched the two of you for a while.” She explained, leaning on the wall and looking at her crossed hands in front of her shorts. “How your relationship grew closer, than further apart, then much, much closer afterwards.” He thumbs fumbled with each other, in a thumb-wrestling kind of manner. “I saw you kiss him, and how he overreacted. So cute!”

“Are you a stalker or something?”

“If you put it that way, one would think I’m ill intentioned.” She complained, trying to make puppy eyes, but failing miserably. “But I swear I did everything I did to help.”

“Help? Seriously?” He Tian was incredulous. How could someone be so calculating?

“Come on, He Tian.” She dropped honorifics, suddenly getting serious. “Communication isn’t either of you boys’ strong points. By transforming Guan Shan in a cat, I made you worried about him going missing at the same time you had to take care of him. And people have a huge propensity of talking about their problems to their pets, knowing they would never judge them – mostly because they can’t understand their words, but still can understand their feelings. Now tell me, didn’t it work? Doesn’t Guan Shan understand you better now?”

Guan Shan did, although He Tian would never confess that. Not to her.

“Why make him all honest and nice, then?”

“I didn’t make him all honest and nice.” She rolled her eyes, outraged. “I just modified his anger filter a teeny-tiny bit.”

“What did you do?” He Tian grabbed the girl by the collar, glaring at her and temporarily ignoring the fact that someone could misunderstand the situation and think he was attacking her.

“Excuse me.” She grabbed He Tian’s hand, pressing all the right points to make him let go of her shirt, and once he had let go, she dropped his hand and smoothed her clothes. “Better.” A wicked smile. “You and I know how Guan Shan tend to use anger to hide embarrassment, or even stuff he likes but doesn’t want to acknowledge.” She explained. “It’s a coping mechanism.”

“You got rid of his coping mechanism?”

“To some extent.” Her right hand moved, as if what she was saying was supposed to be extremely obvious. “He can still get angry if he’s frustrated, or if he genuinely hates someone or something. But if he’s doing it to pretend he doesn’t care – when he does – or to hide his true feelings, the spell blocks his anger and obliges him into being honest.”

“Why would you do that?” He Tian took a step backwards, trying to get as far as he could from that girl.

“Because you two are way too bad with communication.” She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes in impatience. “Even if you confessed, Guan Shan would probably scream at you and run away. And I don’t want that, you two are perfect for each other.”

“The fuck?”

“I’m not a witch like he calls me, I’m a matchmaker. Think of me as a cupid.”

“You’re crazy, that’s what you are.” He said pointing at her face.

“Well, opinions diverge.” She shrugged. “So, now we get to the million dollar question: knowing he likes you too, because come on we both know he does, why don’t you confess and get your boy?”

“Someone as wicked as you wouldn’t understand, Bei Bei.” He said, practically spitting her name.

“Well, try me.”

“This is unfair with him.” He Tian massaged his temples, thinking about the best words to get the insane girl to understand their side. “Guan Shan hides his emotions for a reason, and I learned to respect those reasons over time.” He then leaned on the opposite wall, looking at the slightly confused girl. “Besides, even though he mean it, he isn’t necessarily ready to say it.”

“Ready?”

“Yes, Bei Bei, ready. I want to respect Guan Shan’s time and wait for him to come seek me, because I have faith that someday he will realize how much he means to me.”

“Then why don’t you just take the chance that is right in front of you?”

“Because it wouldn’t be real.” He Tian sighed, considering sinking to the floor, groaning and hiding his face under his arms. “Because once the spell wears out, Guan Shan would feel like I betrayed him, like I took advantage of him.” He tightened his fists. “Again.” He Tian mumbled, heart squeezing inside his chest. “I want him to trust me, not to hate me.”

“Who would say someone who force-kissed another person would be so thoughtful, huh.” She mocked.

“You understand now?” His question was hopeful, looking at Bei Bei and trying to find any traces of remorse. He found none.

“I do, but there’s nothing I can do to help.” She shrugged, again. “Once the spell is done, it can only be undone if the pre-set trigger is pulled.”

“What trigger?”

“Well, for example, when I turned him into a cat, his trigger was acknowledgement and acceptance.” She clarified. “He would only come back to his human form if he acknowledged his feelings – no matter towards whom – and accepted the fact that he could be a cat for all eternity.”

“Are you seriously telling me that he could have been transformed into a cat forever?”

“Yep!” She nodded, He Tian’s glare was like daggers the crazy witch dodged one by one. “And I must tell you, he accepted his fate so fast.” She giggled. “Last person I did that to was a cat for three months.”

He Tian wondered how he would feel if Guan Shan had gone missing for more than those days he was. He Tian would probably go insane, so he chose to stop thinking about what could have happened. It didn’t, that’s what matters.

“You’re a bitch.” He hissed, even angrier when the girl faked being hurt. “What’s the trigger now?”

“I can’t tell you.” She smiled and He Tian considered choking her to death. Maybe killing the source of the spell you extinguish it, no? “And I can’t tell you because you’re going to tell Guan Shan what he has to do, and if you do that, well,” she whistled, “then it’s considered cheating and he’ll be stuck as that nice and honest boy for as long as he lives.” Her wink was a war declaration, He Tian was certain of that. “You don’t want that, do you?”

He Tian didn’t, so he just huffed and turned around, going back to his classroom.

Whatever was the trigger, the only thing He Tian could do was trust Guan Shan and, of course, hope for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: She gave birth to an entire litter of mittens.
> 
> He Tian confronted the witch, but without much success. Is Guan Shan ever gonna be back to normal?
> 
> You'll find out sooner than you think, considering next chapter is the last chapter before the epilogue HAHAHA.
> 
> Don't be shy and leave me a comment, it always makes my day~ Kudos are also appreciated!
> 
> See you next chappie.
> 
> Pops' Out~


	9. 08 - Back to his true Purrsona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though Guan Shan is back to normal, he still opens his heart - albeit only partially.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to publish this chapter yesterday, but upon the Brazil's 2018 Elections results I was way too sad to do anything, so I am very sorry for that.
> 
> Please, send some good vibes because Brazil is needing it, some dark times are doomed to begin.
> 
> Now, onto the chapter.
> 
> Q.: What do you call a cat with eight legs that likes to swim?

He Tian only saw Guan Shan again when the classes were over.

For the first time in years He Tian felt so mad that he didn’t even consider ditching his cleaning duty partner, choosing to unwind all of his frustration with all of the previous events by making sure the classroom would be as clean as it could possibly be. So as he cleaned the desks with a damp cloth, completely focused on a thing he hardly ever did, He Tian didn’t even notice when the sliding door opened, and then closed.

“You’re still here.” A voice said, which He Tian recognized to be Guan Shan’s. “I didn’t know you actually followed the cleaning duty procedures.” Guan Shan mocked and He Tian felt like that was a tone Guan Shan hadn’t addressed anyone in a long time, it felt like home. “Are you gonna take forever to finish or what? I don’t have all the time in the world.”

Rude.

“Geez, Little Mo, what got into y–” but before He Tian could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by his own surprise upon looking at Guan Shan’s face.

Guan Shan’s gorgeous face that was twisted in a deep scowl, with lips curved down in clear unhappiness. One of his brows twitched and he clicked his tongue.

“Told you not to fucking call me that.” He spat. “I’m gonna give you five minutes, it’s not cause dumb me promised he would cook for you that I actually have to, you know that right?” He Tian was so dumbfounded that he just nodded. “Great, now finish this or you’ll have cup-noodles for dinner.”

But before Guan Shan could go back on his word, or He Tian’s cleaning duty partner could cry about being abandoned, He Tian grabbed his backpack, hooked his right arm over Guan Shan’s neck, drinking the string of curses coming from his favorite boy’s mouth, and started walking out of the school and towards the subway.

“You’re back!” He Tian exclaimed at some point, smile wide and genuine. He wondered if his smile could make Guan Shan’s heartbeat falter like it had happened to He Tian before.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Guan Shan dismissed with his left hand, detangling himself from He Tian’s long arm.

The rest of the way went mostly uneventful, except for when He Tian texted Jian Yi about the news, while he waited for Guan Shan to pick vegetables at the grocery store. Jian Yi’s reaction hadn’t seem as good as He Tian thought it would, though, as the former said he was enjoying the honest and sweet – on his own way – Guan Shan much more than the usual _overreacting ginger bitch_ , as he lovingly called Guan Shan.

He Tian wondered how pissed Guan Shan would be if he knew Jian Yi was calling him that, and He Tian even considered texting Zheng Xi to organize a cat fight, because Guan Shan would want to rip Jian Yi’s eyes out. But then he remembered how Zheng Xi wasn’t really in favor of fighting and the few times he actually got involved in one were to protect Jian Yi, which could only mean Guan Shan versus Jian Yi would end up being Guan Shan versus Zheng Xi instead.

That was the only reason why He Tian dropped the idea. Or so he told himself.

I mean, no one actually wanted an encore of the stone incident, right?

“What are you maniac giggling about?” Guan Shan had asked at some point, glaring daggers at He Tian’s way. The latter only dismissed the subject, telling Guan Shan he would rather not know.

He also made it extra insinuating, so Guan Shan would be inclined to think He Tian was laughing at something lewd. And with Guan Shan stuttering, blushing and turning away while cursing in mid of ‘ _Why do I even_ ask’s, He Tian felt like it worked like a charm, kudos to himself.

So, about fifteen minutes and a lot of cussing later, He Tian was sitting by the kitchen counter while observing Guan Shan work on whatever dish he had in mind. One day He Tian would tell Guan Shan how mesmerizing it was to just look at his back while he worked so diligently to make some of the most delicious food He Tian had ever tasted, but that day wasn’t today.

“Are you listening?” He Tian caught Guan Shan saying at some point, waking him up from his daydream.

“Now I am.” He chuckled, more at Guan Shan’s huff than the fact that he was lost in thought himself. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to say a few things, so pay attention because I ain’t repeating.”

“Roger that.” He Tian answered, for once extremely curious about Guan Shan’s facial expression.

“When I thanked you for taking care of me while I was a cat,” Guan Shan said as if his throat was tied to a knot, “I meant it.” He Tian thought about provoking Guan Shan, but he chose not to. “And I know you know I meant it, because I couldn’t lie, but still.” He sighed and the knife he was using stopped chopping for a few seconds, soon picking up its pace once again. “It’s not only that, though.”

He Tian was curious and wanted to ask what else, but he knew he couldn’t pressure Guan Shan, so he just kept quiet and hoped Guan Shan took it as cue to keep opening his locked heart up.

“When you broke down because I was missing, it was something else.” What Guan Shan meant by ‘something else’ He Tian was uncertain, but he had a hunch. “I had this image of you, I saw you as this devil that thought he was better than everybody else.” He Tian’s heart tightened in overwhelming sadness, he didn’t want Guan Shan’s vision of him to be like that. “But after seeing you having nightmares and crying, I realized that well, you’re still a person.” And the sadness gave place to relief. “I still think you think you’re better than everybody else, though.”

With that one He Tian couldn’t hold his chuckle. Gladly, Guan Shan laughed as well. Or at least it sounded like he had laughed. He Tian couldn’t see Guan Shan’s face, so he wasn’t utterly sure.

“I–I went after you today at lunch.” For the first time Guan Shan stuttered, and He Tian could feel in the air how difficult all this talking was being to him. “I shouldn’t have, but I eavesdropped on you and the witch.”

He Tian’s stomach made a back flip.

“I’m glad I did, though.”

“Why?” Before He Tian could hold himself, he asked.

“Up until today I still had doubts about you, He Tian.” He mumbled, He Tian’s name rolling softly on Guan Shan’s tongue, one could even mistake Guan Shan’s tone as fond. “I wasn’t sure about what exactly you wanted of me, so I was always suspicious.” After a long pause and a long breath, Guan Shan continued. “But not only with the way you acted when I was honest, but also what you told her. It made me open my eyes.”

He Tian knew where this was going, he still wanted to see if Guan Shan would be able to go all the way before chickening out, though.

“You had plenty of opportunities, all of my defenses were down, I even said things myself, gave you all the green lights you could have asked for, but in no moment you made anything that would make me–” He choked on his saliva, hands shaking, “uncomfortable. You respected my privacy and I–” another pause, “that was more than enough to show me how wrong I’ve been being about you.” Guan Shan’s voice was slowly disappearing, more and more high-pitched.

And wet.

After that, Guan Shan didn’t say a single word.

Not even with the heavy silence hovering over them as He Tian saw Guan Shan slowly go back to cooking, nor when they were sitting in front of each other, with Guan Shan’s eyes clearly swollen and reddened, nor when Guan Shan packed the leftovers and washed the dishes, probably trying to occupy his mind with something that wasn’t He Tian. Guan Shan only spoke again when he said goodbye, leaving He Tian to think if whatever had happened in his apartment was actually true.

* * *

Guan Shan, for lack of better word, felt divided.

He certainly didn’t enjoy the fact that he was running his mouth, talking way more than he should do to people he shouldn’t talk to – or at least he told himself, but he couldn’t deny people were looking at him with different eyes since his overall demeanor changed. Before people were clearly afraid of him, never coming too close and thinking twice before talking directly to him, but now they were not only talking to him, but Guan Shan was also discovering he actually had things in common with some of his classmates.

There was this girl who liked playing the guitar, and approached him to ask if He Tian would like to watch her playing some day – of course that would be about the handsome bastard. They ended up talking about music and strategies to learn some harder songs through the whole alone-study period. Then there was this boy, who asked Guan Shan where he had learned how to pay basketball, and during P.E., that boy called Guan Shan to be on his team, which was the very first time during Guan Shan’s school life that had been called first to be part of a team.

His heart was full of both the flutter of being actually seen as human being and not a monster, as well as uneasiness of letting people get too close to him, let them see sides of him he didn’t even show his mother. Yes, Guan Shan was afraid of talking too much, telling people about his past, his dad’s whereabouts, his problems at home. Because once he did, Guan Shan knew it was inevitable, people would start to keep their distance, and the name-calling would be doomed to restart, in a disgraceful encore of his Elementary School days.

But classmates aside, Guan Shan knew his biggest problem was definitely the Three Musketeers. By now Guan Shan had noticed how Jian Yi was prone to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, as well as ask way too many questions – which Guan Shan couldn’t help but answer. He Tian, one that Guan Shan was sure was dying to ask questions of his own, surprisingly remained quiet and only asked – if the event on the previous day to prove his point was ignored – pertinent questions, respecting Guan Shan in ways he never thought He Tian would respect him. Zheng Xi barely even talked, so Guan Shan didn’t care about his condition.

Guan Shan would also be lying if he said it wasn’t good to lift that guilt that just stood there, weighting his shoulders. Of course, he had never imagined he would apologize to Zheng Xi under such bizarre circumstances, but getting it out of his chest and learning that Zheng Xi had already forgiven him was something Guan Shan was glad that happened.

He Tian was right, though, and that wasn’t Guan Shan at all. The real Guan Shan would stutter, turn red, curse, scream and possibly end up running away before he could even try to say the word ‘sorry’, no matter to whom it was directed to. And even though Guan Shan’s newfound nice side was completely drawn to He Tian, just like a moth to a bright light, Guan Shan knew it was out of character, and that sooner or later, He Tian would just get bored or Guan Shan’s niceness and would go away.

He still couldn’t answer why he followed He Tian that day, however.

Part of him said he was curious about where He Tian was heading and what he was going to do, since every single step taken by him had been accompanied by Guan Shan – whether willingly or not. The other part was more annoying, with that pointy hint of jealously, telling Guan Shan that He Tian was actually getting infatuated by another person and Guan Shan had to check it out.

If Guan Shan had stopped to think things through, nice or not, he would have realized how nonsense that statement was. Come on, he had heard He Tian’s confession more than once by that time, he wasn’t a fool and he noticed the glances He Tian shot at him, how heated and one hundred percent smitten they were. How He Tian would search for Guan Shan first, not matter if something good or bad happened, as if Guan Shan was more than a friend, more than a crush. As if Guan Shan was He Tian’s safe place.

That thought squeezed Guan Shan’s heart to the point he found it hard to breathe, especially because Guan Shan himself knew how much his view of He Tian had changed throughout those weeks, how that cocky bastard had slowly became the enchanting demon, the one that was ready to coarse Guan Shan and seduce him into doing things he wouldn’t even have given a thought before.

So, going back to the actual action, when Guan Shan noticed He Tian had gone out of his way to find and confront ‘the witch’, or at least that was how Guan Shan called the girl, Guan Shan couldn’t help but to feel even more drawn towards He Tian, momentarily ignoring the side of him that screamed how He Tian had meddled with his business not for a second time, but for a third and he just listening to what the two of them were talking about because it was only fair.

And right then and there, hiding behind a wall whilst listening to a conversation he wasn’t supposed to, Guan Shan felt his heart being snatched by He Tian and being put on a pedestal, where it would be protected and taken care of. Guan Shan felt, for the first time in his life, like someone actually understood him and his feelings, and that this someone was willing to give Guan Shan the time he needed to confront his own true self and finally get in terms with his feelings.

At that right moment, it was like Guan Shan had been blinded, but didn’t care about it because he trusted He Tian with all of his being.

Then the crying came.

Guan Shan hid in the bathroom for the rest of the lunch and the first afternoon period, trying to get a hold of himself. But he couldn’t. He felt like all of the events from the previous week had come back to punch him in the face, screaming at him how he was a yappy little bitch and how He Tian deserved, at least, Guan Shan’s sincerity.

But when the crying stopped, the anger came.

Anger because he couldn’t control his tongue. Anger because he had admitted embarrassing stuff he didn’t even know he thought. Anger because He Tian had all the chances he could have asked for to take advantage of Guan Shan, but didn’t. Anger because the only crime Guan Shan could accuse He Tian of committing, he was now free of charge. Anger because he had let the three friends inside, and held them way more dearly than he would ever confess.

However, angry or not, Guan Shan knew too well he still owed He Tian a ‘thank you’. Not for taking care of him, not for asking his mother not to contact the school, not for have suffered when Guan Shan was gone. None of that. But rather because, opposite to everybody else, He Tian was actually the only one to respect his privacy and set some limits to Jian Yi, taking exquisite care not to let any lines be crossed or change their relationship permanently without Guan Shan’s willingness.

Easier said than done, as one would say.

He spent the rest of the whole afternoon formulating what he would tell He Tian, writing notes on his notebook, but erasing them right afterwards, cursing at how silly they sounded. It was only after countless tries – that were actually only four or five – Guan Shan actually decided to drop on the script idea and let his heart lead the way. Yes, he knew his heart was a dick and tended to coward in pressuring situations, but he had to believe in his own capacity of being honest, at least once in his life.

And honest Guan Shan was.

But also a coward.

Because although it was a huge leap for Guan Shan to actually spill his heart’s content, he still couldn’t do it while looking at He Tian. He still had to hide his expression, his pain, his thankfulness and his tears, because he didn’t want He Tian to see yet another pathetic side of him. This time, the nagging came from the part of his memories that told him about how He Tian himself had shown pathetic sides of him to Guan Shan, but either way, Guan Shan couldn’t help but ignore it.

They were different people, they reacted in different ways.

Besides, He Tian didn’t even know he was showing pathetic – not pathetic actually, but indeed real – sides of him to Guan Shan, so there was that too.

In the end, Guan Shan could only say about half of what he wanted to, before the knot in his throat was too big for any sound to come out, and his tears were way too thick to hide. And that lead to Guan Shan, after coming back home and greeting his mother, lying on his bed while holding that one jacket he had – begrudgingly – borrowed, feeling the smooth fabric of something probably worth more than all of his clothes combined, as well as the – now – faint smell of cologne mixed with cigarettes.

He could deny all he wanted, but right there at the back of his mind, Guan Shan knew that if he had ever had to relate a smell to a feeling; He Tian’s scent would be trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: An octo-puss.
> 
> See you all next chapter.
> 
> Pops' Out.


	10. Epilogue - The Feelings of a Meowtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guan Shan seriously needs to grow a pair and confess.  
> Still, things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the epilogue!
> 
> I won't lie, the end is bitter, but bear with me because we still have 2 extras to fix my shit up <3
> 
> Don't hate me too much, okay?
> 
> Onto the chapter we go!
> 
> Q.: What do you call a pile of kittens?

“Guan Shan?” He Tian asked, slightly confused, as he opened the door.

“I like you.”

What a great day for ‘He Tian.exe stopped working’ to have its grand come back.

* * *

The transition between middle school and high school was smoother than Guan Shan would have initially guessed.

To his surprise, the one nagging him into actually taking the high school entrance exam to that one rather fancy high school downtown was none other than Jian Yi, who tried convincing Guan Shan with way too many days of stupid arguments and failed puppy eyes. But in the end Jian Yi succeeded and Guan Shan gave in, telling the way too obnoxious blond that yes, he would take the entrance exam and that no, he wasn’t going to try his best to pass.

Although he did.

With his tail between his legs, Guan Shan swallowed his pride, came to He Tian and asked if he could help Guan Shan study for the exams. Guan Shan was glad He Tian didn’t ask him why he was asking for help, and even gladder that He Tian didn’t even once mocked him and his tsundere nature, and only helped Guan Shan achieve his goal – which was too difficult because of the lack of time he had, plus the fact that he had to study ten times more than usual and Guan Shan didn’t want to do it ever again, but this part he would just omit from other people.

That lead to the four of them enrolling in the very same high school, something Jian Yi was thrilled that was finally happening. Not in his wildest dreams he would think their angry ginger friend would follow them that far. Inwardly the three of them – maybe Guan Shan too – were happy Guan Shan was actually giving himself a shot, and trying not to only have a better life, but give his mother the comfort she deserved.

Guan Shan was smart. Hated studying, yes, but was smart nonetheless, so he could easily achieve great things if he tried hard enough.

What neither of them were waiting for, and it was by far the biggest twist that had ever happened on the plot they called life, was the fact that, on the second day in their freshman year, Jian Yi disappeared. Opposite to what happened to Guan Shan in middle school, however, Jian Yi didn’t disappear in thin-air, no. He disappeared after two huge dudes shoved him into a shady black car and drove to god knows where.

On the second day of their freshman year, Jian Yi was kidnapped.

They thought it would be just like the first time Jian Yi was kidnapped – because hell the boy had a thing for being abducted – and he would just show up again a few days later, with that same goofy smile and carefree act.

He didn’t.

After three months Jian Yi was missing, Zheng Xi had told them it was time to stop looking and that he probably wouldn’t come back. Both He Tian and Guan Shan found it weird that Zheng Xi was the first one to give up looking for their friend, but little did they know that Zheng Xi kept searching behind their backs for years – he just didn’t want the other too to waste their time with what Zheng Xi considered his own problem.

During that time, Zheng Xi ended up trying to drift away from He Tian and Guan Shan, knowing the only real motive of them sticking together was Jian Yi. Zheng Xi tried, which meant he didn’t succeed.

One must think: oh, He Tian must have tried giving him a pep-talk about how friends were important during difficult times and how Zheng Xi should try getting closer to them, instead of pushing them away. This one was wrong, because He Tian knew he wasn’t in the place to give this one pep-talk – he knew he could end up in the same place as Jian Yi, so it would just sound like hypocrisy during the long run – so Guan Shan did it.

After reminding Zheng Xi of all of the things the three of them, Jian Yi included, did to keep Guan Shan near them and how friendship was important when one were going through hardships, Guan Shan managed to persuade Zheng Xi into not leaving their friend group and isolating himself. It was by far one of the days Guan Shan felt the most emotional, opening his heart willingly to Zheng Xi for the first time and telling him things he hadn’t even told He Tian before – because yes, He Tian wasn’t present when the pep-talk thing happened.

So as the months passed by, Guan Shan and Zheng Xi ended up becoming true best friends, to the point of game sleepovers and late night confessions – although Guan Shan never told Zheng Xi he wasn’t the first one to whom Guan Shan admitted his feelings towards He Tian (if you are that curious, the first person to know was his mother, the second was Jian Yi, but Guan Shan made Jian Yi swear on his undying love towards Zheng Xi that he wouldn’t tell anybody).

He Tian, on the other hand, felt more and more jealous of Zheng Xi as the days went by, seeing how the object of his utmost affection was now talking – and really comfortably – with the one who was probably the most emotionally fragile among the three of them, at least by that time.

At some point, He Tian had become the quiet one who would only just observe from the corner, judging silently as the other two pretended everything was fine. The other two certainly noticed the slow change on He Tian’s behavior, but afraid of backlash – He Tian was still stronger than both of them _together_ – none of the boys said a thing. Or at least they didn’t up until the day He Tian stopped showing up at the place they usually had lunch together.

That was when Zheng Xi told Guan Shan it was time to pretend he had guts and face He Tian for real. There was no reason to be afraid of the outcome, after all, the two of them were well aware of He Tian’s feelings, even after all of those months – over a year and a half, as they were already in the middle of their high school’s second year.

And for the first time in his life, Guan Shan followed an advice.

He thought seriously about being as cliché as he could possibly be, and make He Tian some homemade chocolates, calling him to the school’s rooftop on Valentine’s Day after school hours were done, but he didn’t do it for two reasons. One, because of the insanely huge flock of girls who gathered around He Tian all day long, preventing Guan Shan from even getting near him. And two, because Guan Shan knew he would chicken out before actually getting any words out of his chest.

So no matter how much planning he would do, in the very end Guan Shan knew that if he wanted to come clean with his feelings for He Tian, it would have to be done in a natural way, almost out of the blue. Acknowledging that made Guan Shan take yet another month or pining before Zheng Xi got mad at him and told Guan Shan he wouldn’t lend his videogames to Guan Shan until the whole matter was solved – and damn, Guan Shan really wanted to play that new RPG that had just come out and Zheng Xi was the only person he knew who owned a copy.

And that lead to Guan Shan knocking on He Tian’s door as the spring sun of late March set.

“Guan Shan?” He Tian asked, slightly confused, as he opened the door.

“I like you.”

If Guan Shan weren’t shaking in anxiety as he was at that moment, he would have laughed at He Tian’s utterly shocked expression. Because the way those gray eyes opened in surprised, as well as those thin and seemingly soft lips were shaped in an ‘o’ were more than enough to make Guan Shan have enough material to mock He Tian for years to come.

Of course, that sudden confession wasn’t anywhere near his initial plans, as he actually wanted to say – for the first time – something sweet to He Tian (like how he enjoyed his company, although acting otherwise, or how it was nice spending afternoons together studying and then eating something Guan Shan had cooked for only the two of them, or even how Guan Shan started enjoying watching the tiniest changes on He Tian’s demeanor as his mood shifted), maybe even tell He Tian that although he and Zheng Xi were good friends – best friends, probably –, their relationship would never be like what Guan Shan and He Tian had.

But well, life sucks and apparently so does Guan Shan at confessions, so he had to settle with the simple ‘I like you’ that made He Tian stop dead on his tracks and forget – momentarily – how to function properly.

Once He Tian was back to himself, though, Guan Shan was in for a ride.

Because He Tian took no time before just pulling Guan Shan inside the apartment, closing the door and shoving him against it, pinning him in place with nowhere to run or hide. And those same gray eyes were so piercing Guan Shan suddenly felt cornered and exposed, with all of his plans of what to do and how to surprise He Tian going down the drain faster than he could ever imagine.

He Tian – even though he kept his cold façade and cocky smirk – was no better than Guan Shan. He could feel his heart trying to escape free from his ribcage; almost hurting so fast it beat. His palms were sweaty, but he just hid it by cornering Guan Shan against the wall – fuck the two damp handprints that would be there later, they would have better things to do than care about it – and looking deep into his eyes, trying to find out if Guan Shan was being honest or just perverse.

Guan Shan was being honest – He Tian noticed as the shaking hands cupped his face, tilting his head just a little bit downwards – because Guan Shan not only repeated what he said before in a whisper, but he also closed the gap between the two of them, pecking He Tian’s lips so lightly it felt almost ticklish.

Yep, soft lips.

This one peck became two, three, n; none of them were actually keeping track of it. But at some point reason came back to Guan Shan’s brain and he shoved He Tian just a tiny bit backwards, trying to assimilate what had just happened as he tried to calm his quickened heartbeat down. Guan Shan then took a deep breath, shy smile sitting on his lips, molded by flushed cheeks and a feeling of accomplishment.

Guan Shan had confessed. Fucking finally.

We’re just going to ignore the fact that he ran away right after that.

* * *

Even though they had shared a fair amount of chaste kisses the day of the confession, it still took another four days of pining – Guan Shan was getting better and better at freaking the fuck out with all of this infatuation he couldn’t control – as well as all of He Tian’s patience and Zheng Xi’s help for the two of them to actually start dating. It had been a rather hot day and they were tired and sweaty after playing basketball for hours, but it had also been sweet.

He Tian waited for everybody to leave and then sat on the grass bank, observing the sun disappear between buildings as it set when he asked Guan Shan if Guan Shan was comfortable with calling them an item. He wasn’t that crude, of course, but you get the point – He Tian’s words were something among the lines of ‘ _may I call you my boyfriend?_ ’ Guan Shan blushed and tried answering using common human spoken language, but as his words got lost in the middle of stutters, he settled with turning his head down and nodding once.

But although they had started dating, PDA was a whole different story – not only public, actually, any display of affection.

Guan Shan was, after all, the person who took the meaning of shyness to a whole new level, which meant He Tian had to settle with small, soft, baby steps. Because of that, it was only two months into their relationship that Guan Shan started letting He Tian occasionally hold his hand – in private, because in public it took another three and a huge string of stumbled curses. And if only holding his hand took that long, He Tian knew he was in for a ride when he started considering feeling those soft lips against his own once more.

If he counted from the very first consensual kiss they shared, it took about eight months for Guan Shan to loosen up and let himself melt in He Tian’s arms, since it didn’t matter how hard Guan Shan would deny it afterwards, He Tian knew better how his boyfriend would slowly calm down until he was just gone. He Tian found that out that one day his patience was at its limit and he surprised Guan Shan in the middle of a petty fight – one moment Guan Shan was giving He Tian moral lessons, the next he was being swept away by those sinful lips.

Another two months and He Tian managed to push away most of Guan Shan’s disgust and embarrassment, and sneaked – not that he was actually sneaky – his tongue inside Guan Shan’s mouth for the, well, second time – if He Tian considered that disaster of a first, that is. Guan Shan’s reaction that second time, thankfully, was much better. Although yes, he had frozen momentarily on the spot, it didn’t take too long for him to assimilate what was going on and try to correspond to the kiss in his own shy and inexperienced way. And if He Tian could have recorded each reaction, each gasp and each sound produced by Guan Shan that day he would have, only to replay it endlessly during his loneliest nights.

But they never went any further than that.

As He Tian was well aware of Guan Shan’s prude behavior, he would always keep his hands above the belt and over the clothes, as well as he would never let the kisses linger for more than a few seconds. It was a shame and He Tian was dying to move some bases forwards, yet he knew that if something more intimate was to happen, that something would have to be initiated by Guan Shan, so only then He Tian could be sure the other was completely on board with it.

It only happened when high school was finally over.

After graduating and receiving the great news that both Guan Shan and Zheng Xi were accepted to their respective first University and course choices, He Tian threw a small congratulations party at his home. There were only the three of them, fizzy drinks and unhealthy snacks, but it was a party nonetheless and they enjoyed it. Or at least they did until He Tian killed the mood by breaking the news that his father was demanding him to go study in the United States of America.

Long dense and awkward minutes of dead silence later, Zheng Xi excused himself by telling the other two it was too late and his sister was going to get worried of his whereabouts – he wasn’t technically lying, Zi Qian did tend to be very possessive of her brother. Guan Shan inwardly thanked for Zheng Xi’s tact and, once he heard the door being closed and He Tian’s footsteps move closer, he let the tears run free – at this point he wasn’t embarrassed of crying in front of He Tian anymore.

He Tian had joined Guan Shan on the couch, hugging him tight and telling him that the last thing He Tian wanted was move to the other side of the globe. Both of them cried in each other’s arms, whispering promises of always keeping in touch and never bottling things up – something both of them were professionals at. And just as their sobs calmed down and they could think more clearly, Guan Shan confessed to He Tian how he had started considering taking their relationship a step – or steps – further.

What surprised He Tian the most was Guan Shan’s boldness, who carried a heavy blush but still managed to say exactly what he wanted to do, not a single word omitted or stuttered.

Still, He Tian had a hard time believing his own ears, and only after a dozen times asking if that was really okay and if Guan Shan really wanted it, plus being pinned against his own bed by a very certain and very willing Guan Shan, that He Tian got the message across and acted accordingly.

It certainly wasn’t like either of them dreamed it would be, and although they looked calm and collected, it was impossible to deny all of the awkwardness, just as even though He Tian had been the most caring and patient, treating Guan Shan so carefully it was almost like he was afraid of Guan Shan breaking, it wasn’t as enjoyable or romantic as love stories portrait first times. But it was a start and it was their start, so they wouldn’t trade it for anything else – though Guan Shan was well aware of the annoying ache he would experience for at least the next couple of days.

And then, a week before summer break was over, He Tian gave Guan Shan a ring – matching the one he wore on his middle finger – and Guan Shan kissed He Tian goodbye in an airport full of people, trying to hold back his tears as He Tian promised to steal his father’s private jet every single chance he got.

In that late summer afternoon, a few hours after He Tian’s flight departure, Guan Shan bought his first pack of cigarettes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.: A meowtain.
> 
> So, yes I did it and no I don't regret doing it because it will make sense during the long run.
> 
> There's smut on the next chapter, but they're aged up so I guess it won't bother people that much. If you don't like smut, at least read the parts before and after it, because they're important for the plot.
> 
> If you liked it, don't be shy and show me some love, comment or kudos, they're all appreciated <3
> 
> See you all next time!
> 
> Pops' Out~


	11. Extra 01 - Mo Guan Shan is Pawsitively Sexy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last year of college and Guan Shan loses a bet to Jian Yi.  
> In the beginning he hates it, but there's always someone who can make things better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chanting*  
> SMUT! SMUT! SMUT!
> 
> Nobody asked for it, but I wrote it anyway (just kidding, Cath actually asked for a smut in this one chapter in special)
> 
> So here we have it, the kinky side of the author showing and the chapter which puts the E in Expicit. Yes, I changed the rating.
> 
> I hope you all like it~
> 
> Enjoy the chapter, and no pun today~

One week after He Tian had gone to the United States, classes started. It was nice because Guan Shan was introduced to a whole new world he had never thought he would actually get to know, and it was also nice because he could occupy his mind with classes, texts and assignments, rather than spend useless time thinking about things he couldn’t have at that moment. However it was also sad and tiring, considering the fact that he didn’t see Zheng Xi as much as before and most of their conversations happened through message, the fact that after finally giving He Tian a chance Guan Shan couldn’t be with him as much as he wanted to, as well as the fact that he had started working night shifts at a restaurant to help his mother with the bills.

So as Guan Shan’s days passed by, filled by new information, new people and a rather small amount of sleeping hours, soon it was late November, which meant they were nearing Christmas. Christmas, for Guan Shan, meant two things. The first thing was the warm evening with his mother, cooking way too much food for only the two of them and laughing at his mom’s stories from when she was younger – barely knew Guan Shan his boss would ask him to do overtime on Christmas Eve, the bastard. The second thing was the possibility of He Tian coming back for the holidays, and no matter how much Guan Shan would deny, or not even say it at all, he still missed He Tian, a lot, and they were only apart for a couple of months.

On that late afternoon, his very first day off in three weeks, Guan Shan caught himself yearning He Tian’s presence as he played with the ring he had been gifted in the airport. The design was simple, but chic, and how Guan Shan treasured it more than he would admit, he would rather wear it in a chain around his neck than risk damaging the present by actually wearing it. Guan Shan was so damn lost in thought that he only noticed he had company when the swing beside the one he was sitting moved, rusty metal creaking and stealing his attention.

“Fancy ring you got there.” A voice said, and although it sounded deeper and older than Guan Shan last heard, he could recognize its owner anywhere.

“He Tian gave it to me.” Guan Shan answered simply, finally looking up and towards the voice, noticing it wasn’t only the voice that got older, but also its owner’s features.

Jian Yi’s smile was still bright and large, but the hints of sadness and suffering coming from within were undeniable and Guan Shan wondered if Jian Yi had opened his heart with someone or was just bottling things up. Guan Shan also knew he wouldn’t be the one to ask, which made him let Jian Yi lead the conversation, in order not to make him uncomfortable. But although looking older, and seemingly much taller than Guan Shan recalled, Jian Yi was still a beautiful man.

“So you finally grew a pair and confessed?” Jian Yi’s chuckle was raspy and low and Guan Shan wondered if he truly were amused.

“‘Bout two years ago.” Guan Shan chuckled himself, temporarily missing the surprised look on Jian Yi’s face. “Things have changed. I’ve changed.” He added.

“You look calmer.” Jian Yi commented and Guan Shan nodded. “Is it because of all of the time you’ve been spending with Zheng Xi?” He asked, Guan Shan pretending not to be shocked by the fact that Jian Yi wasn’t calling Zheng Xi by the usual nickname.

“Probably.” Guan Shan shrugged, unsure of the true reason behind his change. And then, after a couple of minutes in silence, Guan Shan decided to address the elephant in the room. “Does Zheng Xi know you…?”

“I only came back after I found out where he was living.” Jian Yi answered, knowing exactly what Guan Shan meant by his silence. “He was the first one I paid a visit to.”

“He didn’t tell me.”

“I asked him not to.” Jian Yi’s fake laugh only didn’t echo because they were in an open space, but Guan Shan knew it would if they were in a closed room, so loud it was. “He hates me now.”

“It was complicated.” Guan Shan said, earning a confused expression from Jian Yi. “Your relationship, I mean.”

“Yeah.” Jian Yi sighed and Guan Shan thought about putting his hand on Jian Yi’s shoulder, for reassurance. He decided not to. “But I have faith Zheng Xi will forgive me someday.”

“Even though he promised he never would if you disappeared without warning again?”

“I’m a charming bastard.” Jian Yi smiled and Guan Shan laughed, agreeing in mock. “I wooed him once, guess I’ll just have to try harder this second time.”

Jian Yi didn’t really need to try that hard and Guan Shan knew it, since he was the one who knew the best how much Zheng Xi still loved Jian Yi, even after being abandoned. But, of course, as a good and faithful friend, Guan Shan would never tell that to Jian Yi, because Jian Yi deserved to go through a few hardships, to compensate all those years of suffering he brought to Zheng Xi. It was only fair.

So, among Jian Yi’s endless tries to win Zheng Xi over again and eventually succeeding, as well as He Tian’s sporadic visits and steamy nights shared with Guan Shan, one year went by. Then two. And before they knew, Jian Yi was graduating in High School and receiving the news that he was accepted in the same University as Zheng Xi and Guan Shan. Three years after Jian Yi was back, Zheng Xi and Guan Shan were turning seniors, while he was enrolling as a little freshman.

After learning his – Jian Yi’s – department would throw a party for the freshmen, but that anyone enrolled in the University, no matter course or year, were invited, Jian Yi decided it was time to use of his newfound wit and put some plans in motion. It was already three years since he had come back, his relationship with both Guan Shan and Zheng Xi was much better than it had ever been, so he would rather try his luck and see everything on fire than just be bored.

“I bet I can win against you if we play basketball, Redhead.” Jian Yi said in one evening Guan Shan had a day off and the three young men were chilling in Zheng Xi’s apartment, eating pizza and playing video games. “One on one.” He added.

“Where did that come from?” Guan Shan asked, a brow raised as he faked being uninterested.

“I was just thinking.” Jian Yi shrugged, giggling lightly when Zheng Xi rolled his eyes. “I mean, are you afraid of losing?”

“I’m not fifteen, Jian Yi, you can’t bait me with those arguments anymore.”

“Okay, fine.” Jian Yi then raised his hands in defeat, but that sly smile was still placed on his thin lips. “What if I tell you that if you win, I’ll do whatever you want? No limits whatsoever.”

“Well.” Guan Shan’s controller ended up on the floor as he turned around to face Jian Yi completely. “I’m guessing the same goes for me?”

“It’s only fair.”

“Who would be the referee?”

“Zhan Xixi would.” Jian Yi answered and Zheng Xi hummed, showing he was paying attention to their discussion. “And you know that he is gonna be fair because it doesn’t matter how much he loves me, he also loves seeing me getting my ass whooped.”

“You’re damn right.” Zheng Xi snorted from behind a can of soda, drinking some of its content and going back to whatever he was doing before.

“Okay, fine.” Guan Shan agreed at last, being blinded by Jian Yi’s bright smile when he did. “When are we playing?”

“You told me your next day off is on Monday, right?” Guan Shan nodded. “Monday, then, in that one court close to your place.”

“Deal.” And then they shook hands to seal the deal.

On Monday, Guan Shan regretted having made a bet with Jian Yi, of all people. It didn’t matter how much of a fair referee Zheng Xi was, or how much the said fair referee wanted to see Jian Yi having his ass whooped, Jian Yi was the one actually whooping someone’s ass. And by someone, he meant Guan Shan. Because of the maximum twenty points, that if either got there the game was done, Guan Shan only managed to score two times, all of the others he had the ball stolen by a way too nimble Jian Yi before Guan Shan could actually see what the hell was going on.

21 vs 4, that was the final score.

Pathetic.

“You won fair and square.” Guan Shan sighed at the end of the match. “What’s gonna be?”

“Oh, my friend,” Jian Yi chuckled and Guan Shan was one hundred percent certain he wasn’t going to like any bit of it, “that is a surprise. But fear nothing because I’m going to tell you when the time comes.”

Two weeks of pure anxiety later, and more specifically on the very day the seniors of the Economics Department were going to throw a party for the freshmen, Guan Shan received a package. Along with the package, there was a simple note written in a very ugly handwriting – that Guan Shan recognized as being Jian Yi’s. After opening the note and reading its content, the only thing left for Guan Shan was open the box and find out what sick and twisted plans Jian Yi had for him.

_You have to wear those tonight. Plus, you’re only allowed to live the party after 00h30. Have fun._

_P.S.: Believe me, you’ll hate me at first, but you’ll thank me later._

Jian Yi couldn’t be more right with the fact that Guan Shan was going to absolutely loathe his guts and wish for him to die a painful and gory death. By opening the box Guan Shan’s eyes fell on something that only Jian Yi could have chosen, only someone as crazy as him would have had this sort of idea. And what shocked Guan Shan the most was the fact that not only everything inside the box looked way too expensive for Guan Shan’s comfort, but also looked like they were handmade exclusively for him.

So after taking a shower and let his pride go down the drain as the water washed him over, Guan Shan dried his skin and piece by piece, put on each single and unique part of an outfit he would never wear under normal circumstances – not even on Halloween, fucks sake.

When the last piece – black leather combat boots, the only part of the costume Guan Shan was considering not burning to ashes – was tied and secure on his feet, Guan Shan finally took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat, opening the wardrobe door to take a look on his appearance at the full body mirror. And Guan Shan would cross his heart and hope to die before admitting it, but goddamn even with _those_ on, he was looking good.

The black spandex with details in yellow fit his body like a glove, hugging his muscles in all the right places, making him sexy, but by no means vulgar. The gloves were also black and had retractile claws, which made Guan Shan try not to think how expensive they were. His feet had those black leather combat boots that gave the whole outfit a badass look. Guan Shan, not thinking about the last two accessories he was still trying to ignore they were there, felt really powerful. It was almost like he was a superhero.

But of course, not everything in life was a bed of roses and Guan Shan had two very specific reasons for cursing up until Jian Yi’s fifth generation. Reason number one were the two – kind of big – cat ears coming out of a tiara, both the tiara and ears covered in some faux fur that was exactly the same color as Guan Shan’s hair, making it seem like the ears were real. And reason number two was the worst one, the one that made Guan Shan think seriously about choking Jian Yi on this very tail coming out of his tailbone, made in a way it wouldn’t just stay limp towards the ground, but rather show some motion.

Yes, the ears and the tail were really well made, but goddamn Guan Shan felt uncomfortable wearing them, especially considering the party was NOT a costume party and he was going to be the ONLY one dressed up.

Embarrassing, to say the least.

Guan Shan, however, was a man of his word, so after pocketing his phone and his keys – after his apartment was locked – just took a deep breath and walked towards the subway. Because if he was going to be embarrassed, he would might as well be embarrassed all the way, no half-assed embarrassment for Guan Shan.

“Damn, you look sexy like this!” Jian Yi exclaimed when Guan Shan finally reached the party. Zheng Xi – whose right arm was around Jian Yi’s waist in an oddly possessive way – only nodded once, silently agreeing with Jian Yi. “You know, I initially wanted to have them make the thing outta leather, but then it would be too revealing, y’know?” Jian Yi then started babbling, and Guan Shan only didn’t let himself get lost in the middle of it because he was supposed to answer something at some point. “And I didn’t want anyone getting frisky with you, so I chose the badass rather than the sexy costume. You still look sexy as fuck though, 10 outta 10 would bang.”

“Jesus, Jian Yi,” Guan Shan shook his head, only now noticing the red hue on Jian Yi’s cheeks as well as how his tongue was much looser than usual, “it’s barely ten and you’re already that drunk?”

“This bartender chick works wonders with liquor.” He giggled. “Not my fault.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Guan Shan dismissed with his hand, trying to get Jian Yi’s short attention span to leave him and focus on something else. “Now I get it.” He whispered to Zheng Xi when he passed by the couple, pointing at Zheng Xi’s arm.

Zheng Xi only shrugged.

Taking it as his cue to leave the other two alone, Guan Shan excused himself, telling the loud and drunk one he was going to look for food and maybe some booze – Guan Shan wasn’t much of a drinker, which made it most likely to be a lie. After finding what he was looking for, Guan Shan walked a little bit around the party, laughing halfheartedly at the ones who asked if he had lost a bet and ignoring the multiple catcalls he got, until he found the perfect spot at the balcony, where he swore he would be until his clock told him it was 00h30 and he was a free elf.

Luckily for Guan Shan, Jian Yi didn’t specify that he needed to socialize with people, so no matter how much Jian Yi cried afterwards, both of them knew that only for the fact that Guan Shan was in the party wearing what Jian Yi told him to, it was more than enough. So Guan Shan just stood there, watching as the numbers changed slowly on his phone’s screen as he watched people downstairs, making a mess in a pool. At least observing drunk people making stupid decisions was fun.

When it was 00h28, two minutes before Guan Shan could finally turn around and bolt from that god forsaken place, his little piece of quiet heaven at the balcony was disrupted when another person joined him – he heard the sliding door opening, then closing. Guan Shan thought about giving this person a piece of his mind, but how he only had to bear with it for two more minutes, he decided to stay quiet.

“I can’t believe he actually managed to make you wear it.” Guan Shan sucked in a sharp breath when he heard that deep voice, instantly straightening his body and tensing up.

It couldn’t be true, could it?

“So it was your idea?” Guan Shan feigned nonchalance, pretending not to be startled when warm hands were placed on his hips. “Only a perverted freak like you would have an idea like this, I should have guessed.” He hissed with no bite after getting what he thought was a positive hum.

“It looks really good from behind.” Guan Shan felt the smile on the voice tone. “I wonder how good it looks from the front.” And then Guan Shan turned around, looking straight on dark gray eyes and moving his gloved hands to cup white cheeks.

“How does it look?” He asked at some point, countless minutes after being devoured by those starving eyes.

“Like the grand come back of none other than Little Mo.” When He Tian laughed, circling his right arm around Guan Shan’s waist and bringing him closer, Guan Shan knew he was a goner. It was just a matter of time before he was swept away by his biggest nemesis.

“I told you I fucking hate this nickname.” He whispered, but once again with no bite. “When did you come back?” He asked at last, trying not to be engulfed by He Tian’s strong stare.

“It wasn’t really my idea.” He Tian avoided the question and Guan Shan couldn’t help but to wide his eyes a little. “Jian Yi just told me he would get you in those, and I told him it would be a shame if he managed and I wasn’t here to see it.”

“Pervert.”

“So he arranged a business deal, telling my father the only person he would accept to seal it was me.” He Tian explained. “So in theory I am back in China for business.”

“And why aren’t you sealing any deals right now?”

“Because I have more important stuff to do.” He Tian’s deep laugh reverberated through Guan Shan’s body, making his hair stand on the back of his nape and a shiver run down his spine.

“Like what?” Guan Shan asked more to see He Tian saying it, than out of curiosity. Guan Shan knew the answer already.

“You.”

“You’re really full of yourself, don’t you think?” Guan Shan feigned mock, his left hand coming down He Tian’s face to draw patterns on his shoulder. “Why would you think I want it too?”

“My bad.” He Tian mumbled, his face coming closer to Guan Shan’s until their lips were brushing against each other, but they weren’t kissing. “What do you want to do, Little Mo?”

“Mm…” As Guan Shan was already dressed up as a fucking catboy or something along these lines, his shame had been lost a few hours prior, so his answer was the boldest it could be. “I want you to take me away from this god awful party and mess me up in every single way you know.”

Two seconds later his lips were being devoured in a mouth bruising kiss that had the people from the pool whistling and yelling, teasing the two in the balcony with insinuating comments. Guan Shan and He Tian couldn’t care less, and as soon as their lips parted, He Tian grabbed Guan Shan’s hand and dragged him through the party and onto the street, where he had a strategically parked car waiting for them.

Fifteen minutes later they were at a five star hotel – He Tian’s loft had been sold a few years prior – opening doors in a rush and going back to attack each other as soon as a click could be heard. Mouths kissed and hands roamed, and before Guan Shan could say anything, He Tian was lifting him by his thighs and placing him on top of a small table. Guan Shan moved his right hand up, but before he could tug at the tiara and take it off, He Tian’s hand pinned Guan Shan in place.

“Keep the ears on, please.” He Tian mumbled between kisses. “You have no idea what this thing does to me.”

At that point both He Tian and Guan Shan were well aware of how pleading messed with the latter, and He Tian seemed to be planning to take full advantage of it. Besides it, He Tian also used of the low whisper right on Guan Shan’s ear, something he knew was a huge weak spot for Guan Shan, and it was just a matter of time to see him shaking and squirming under He Tian. And, of course, it was enough to make Guan Shan lower his hand, leaving the cat ears on his head and scratching He Tian’s clothed back with his fake claws while He Tian took him to another dimension just with his mouth.

Who would say, Guan Shan, the king of ‘Don’t fucking touch me or I’ll fuck you and your entire family’ would be not only giving in to He Tian, but also enjoying every single second of it. He was in deep.

While their tongues mapped and re-mapped each other’s mouths tirelessly, He Tian’s hands roamed, feeling the thick fabric of the spandex beneath his fingers and thinking that no matter how good he thought Guan Shan looked while wearing this, he really needed to get Guan Shan out of this if he were to accomplish what Guan Shan asked him so earnestly to do. And He Tian would say someone could put him in a mental asylum if he were to deny any Guan Shan’s requests, since he barely voiced what he wanted.

So He Tian, begrudgingly, parted his lips from Guan Shan, taking a few seconds to record that slightly disheveled Guan Shan deep inside his memories. Those coppery eyes that had their pupils full blown in want. Those thin lips that were swollen and glistening with saliva in a silent scream of kiss me. That chest breathing heavily, a result of not wanting to stop kissing He Tian. Guan Shan could deny and get all embarrassed, but He Tian wouldn’t be He Tian if he didn’t tease Guan Shan for that.

“You look really cute like this.” He said; blowing raspberries on Guan Shan’s neck and feeling Guan Shan shiver under his hands. “Just because of a few kisses.” He Tian added, watching as Guan Shan’s skin grew a few shades redder with shame.

This time, however, he didn’t deny.

“Things you do to me.” He whispered after bringing He Tian closer once more, mumbling the words right on his lips. “Give me more.”

Again, this demanding Guan Shan couldn’t be denied.

Shouldn’t be denied.

Wouldn’t be denied.

“What do you want me to do, Little Mo?” He Tian asked Guan Shan, saying it as he kept kissing Guan Shan. Deep down He Tian knew what Guan Shan wanted, but He Tian would never let the opportunity of having Guan Shan say it pass untouched.

“Stop asking me stupid questions could be a beginning.” Guan Shan answered, sassy for once. He Tian only grabbed Guan Shan’s thighs and raised them, rutting his crotch against Guan Shan’s as he nipped on Guan Shan’s lower lip, drinking the low moan coming from deep inside Guan Shan’s throat. “You fucker.” He whined.

“Tell me.” He Tian repeated, feigning impatience as he kept grinding their clothed dicks tortuously slowly. And as slowly as He Tian was rutting, Guan Shan was losing his mind – and any inhibitions he still had left.

“Tsk, tease.” Guan Shan hissed, making He Tian chuckle upon the thoughts of Guan Shan acting as a cat even though he hadn’t been one for years. “I already told you I want you to mess me up, damn it.” To show his anger, Guan Shan bit He Tian’s lip, cutting it and drawing a small bead of blood. “Ruin me.”

“And how should I do it?” He Tian was pushing his luck and he knew it, but he needed to know how far he could go before Guan Shan got mad.

Guan Shan’s answer came in a breathy whisper mingled with a moan, and although He Tian could pretend he hadn’t heard it and try to make Guan Shan repeat, he too was getting impatient, feeling this need of release pooling in his gut. So He Tian just smiled and kissed Guan Shan’s lips another time just for good measure, doing what he had been told to do.

He Tian’s first move after leaving Guan Shan’s lips was to trace his right hand down Guan Shan’s left leg, feeling Guan Shan thighs tremble as his fingers moved lower and lower. Once his palm was on Guan Shan’s calf, He Tian raised Guan Shan’s leg a little, untying Guan Shan’s boot slowly and methodically, just ignoring Guan Shan’s death glare. After finishing his handy work, He Tian removed the boot, letting it fall on the ground with a hollow thud. His hand was then lowered even more, removing Guan Shan’s sock and leaving his left foot bare. The whole ritual was repeated on Guan Shan’s right foot, and as soon as He Tian was done, he dove in once more to kiss Guan Shan while his hands roamed all over Guan Shan’s clothed skin.

“You’re so damn slow.” Guan Shan complained, trying to hold his sigh when He Tian’s mouth pampered his neck with feather light kisses.

He Tian ignored Guan Shan’s complaints and just kept working on his neck, the kisses little by little turning heavier and wetter. Soon He Tian was sucking and licking on every single patch of available skin, thirsty for more. His right hand then grabbed Guan Shan’s spandex costume’s front zipper, dragging it down at the same pace he lowered his kisses. He Tian stopped lowering the zipper when it reached Guan Shan’s navel, raising his body to watch his work in progress.

Guan Shan was even more stunning at that moment. Part of his upper-half was now on display, the flushed skin waking up He Tian’s deepest desires. What he really wanted was to just throw every single piece of clothing covering Guan Shan’s body away, but He Tian denied this impulse because he wanted to savor it. He Tian wanted to savor Guan Shan gradually losing his mind as He Tian undressed him – way too slowly – of not only his clothes, but also his sanity.

So He Tian grabbed Guan Shan’s left hand first and pulled the glove finger by finger, so patiently one could be jealous of it. Once the fingers were loose enough, the glove just slid down Guan Shan’s hand, falling on the table or on the ground – neither of them really knew or cared. With Guan Shan’s left hand bare, He Tian took it between his and kissed first the back, then the palm, and then each finger. After kissing Guan Shan’s left hand as if it was the world’s greatest preciosity, He Tian repeated his neat movements on Guan Shan’s right hand, feeling how Guan Shan wanted to retreat his hand and take control, but wasn’t succumbing to this wish.

As soon as both hands were bare, He Tian placed them on the table, whispering to Guan Shan that he didn’t want Guan Shan touching him, at least for the time being. Guan Shan did as he was told – one of the things he has learned over the years was to trust He Tian when it came to sex – and just observed as He Tian’s own hands sneaked inside the spandex suit, touching Guan Shan’s skin directly. And those sinful hands ghosted all the way from his stomach up to his chest, thumbing nipples as light as a feather and moving before Guan Shan could complain about anything.

Then He Tian did what he wanted to do since the time he put his eyes on Guan Shan that evening and rolled the spandex suit over Guan Shan’s shoulders and arms, taking turns with each side as he showered Guan Shan’s torso with endless amounts of open-mouthed kisses. And Guan Shan’s breath started to pick up as He Tian’s face would hover over his nipples or go down towards his navel, just ghosting his touches but never actually doing something other than teasing.

Because of that, when He Tian finally took one of Guan Shan’s nipples in his mouth – knowing full well it was one of Guan Shan’s weak spots – it was nearly impossible for Guan Shan to hold the groan he produced, and before he could muffle it with one of his hands, He Tian had successfully pinned both of them on the table. Deep Guan Shan knew it was fair. He Tian was bowing to Guan Shan’s wishes and doing what he wanted, which meant it was only fair if Guan Shan bowed to this one wish He Tian always voiced – with those deep whispers that would drive Guan Shan mad.

“Let me hear you.” And there it was.

“Then don’t fucking stop.” Guan Shan retorted, now throwing his head back when He Tian’s mouth not only went back to its ministration, but also started sucking and nipping at Guan Shan’s already hard nub.

Sometimes Guan Shan hated his sensitive nipples. That wasn’t one of those times, though.

A few more minutes were spent abusing Guan Shan’s chest and stomach, making him writhe under He Tian and start considering begging for him to go faster. But, in all honesty, who was he kidding? Guan Shan was loving every teeny tiny bit of it and if keeping his mouth shut meant it would last longer, well, fuck it if He Tian was a tease, Guan Shan would let him make it last as long as he wanted to.

At some point Guan Shan removed both of his hands from He Tian’s grasp, assuring him he wouldn’t try to cover his mouth again, and placed them a little further beside his body, arching his back as He Tian’s tongue lapped on his skin and teased him in all of those delicious ways they had discovered over the years. However, when He Tian’s face started lowering more and more, heading towards the place He Tian was sure Guan Shan wanted his mouth the most, a shaky hand stopped He Tian’s steady one before he could move the zipper past Guan Shan’s navel.

He Tian looked at Guan Shan confused, as he was sure about Guan Shan’s need and he knew Guan Shan was also sure about his intent. But the look on Guan Shan’s eyes, oh, that look was enough to make He Tian know that what Guan Shan really wanted was to see He Tian’s face as he lowered the zipper, because those sunset eyes looked so deeply at He Tian it was almost like they were drilling holes.

And once He Tian was given the green light to keep lowering the zipper, he understood Guan Shan’s need of watching him. He understood that Guan Shan didn’t want to lose the moment He Tian’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated that last millimeter, and his tongue unconsciously darted out of his mouth, wetting his lips. Guan Shan didn’t want to lose the moment He Tian saw he was wearing black lacy panties, which did little to nothing to hide his erection.

“I thought you knew.” Guan Shan whispered, his tone showing that no, he actually didn’t think He Tian knew.

“Panties?” He Tian asked, incredulous of what his eyes were witnessing.

“I thought you had picked’em.” Guan Shan mumbled again, smiling that smug smirk He Tian saw so rarely. “Because well, you’re the only one who could have known they would fit.”

He Tian added a note to self to remember to thank Jian Yi later, telling Jian Yi he owed him at least one thousand favors. Because yes, He Tian knew he wanted to see Guan Shan in lingerie at some point, but he also knew it would take a whole lot of talking and convincing until the stubborn Guan Shan would give in. Of course, the bet idea had never passed through his mind, and besides that, He Tian wanted Guan Shan to be as on board with it as He Tian was.

Jokes on He Tian, though, since Guan Shan looked like he was one hundred percent on board. If He Tian could guess, he would say Guan Shan was only okay with wearing women’s undergarments because of the reactions it drew from He Tian. And don’t get He Tian wrong, he wasn’t complaining about the circumstances, not in a thousand years, he was actually weighing his options and thinking if it would be too hard to convince Guan Shan to let He Tian do him while he was **still** wearing them.

“I thought you wanted me to ruin you, Little Mo,” He Tian said as he licked his way down Guan Shan’s torso, stopping at Guan Shan’s eager cock and sucking its head through the fabric, making Guan Shan inhale a sharp breath and let out a whine, “not the opposite.”

“Not my fault you’re a kinky little sh–” Guan Shan tried a snarky comment, but he was interrupted by He Tian’s hand’s freeing his cock, only to cover it with his mouth right afterwards. “Ah– fu–” And as He Tian’s mouth dove in deeper and deeper, taking his cock to the point of He Tian’s eyes watering, Guan Shan was reduced to an incoherent pile of babbling mush.

He Tian knew exactly what he was doing to Guan Shan, since he wasn’t the only one among the two of them who could deep throat, and knowing Guan Shan had lost his speech capacity way before He Tian thought he would made He Tian feel a little proud of himself. So, willing to blow Guan Shan’s sanity away, He Tian focused on wetting Guan Shan’s dick as well as he could when he went down, as well as hollowing his cheeks in a sucking motion when he went up. And giving Guan Shan’s head a special treatment was just a bonus, a bonus that left Guan Shan’s hands pulling He Tian’s hair as he moaned and writhed.

What He Tian didn’t know – but was about to figure out – was the fact that Guan Shan was hard way before they reached the hotel room. Way before He Tian’s arrival. Way before reaching the god forsaken party. And it was when He Tian reached his lubbed – because he was a prepared man – fingers to Guan Shan’s ass for an extra stimulation, that he found out two things. Thing number one: there was a hole in the panties, which meant He Tian could actually fuck Guan Shan in the panties without ruining them. Thing number two, although He Tian’s fingers didn’t meet fabric, they met fur.

The surprise – damn, another one? – made him stop the blowjob and raise his body once more, looking at Guan Shan with a puzzled expression as he effectively removed the spandex suit fully from Guan Shan’s body. It was only then that He Tian realized the cat tail wasn’t attached to the suit, and that the suit too had a small hole for the tail to go through. The tail wasn’t attached to the panties either, as they also had a hole for it to go through. No, the tail was attached to what could only be a butt plug that was buried deep inside Guan Shan’s ass.

Damn that looked way hotter than it should have been.

“And you say **_I_** am the kinky little shit?” He Tian teased when he recovered his voice and thinking abilities, smirking at Guan Shan’s eye roll.

“It was a bet.” Guan Shan retorted, trying to defend himself.

Time to raise those one thousand favors to two thousand favors because somehow Jian Yi got a hold of information on more than one of He Tian’s fetishes and decided that it was time to make them all come true. And to hell, He Tian was a grateful man for that.

“I bet it was.” He Tian chuckled, but didn’t give enough time for Guan Shan to retort, as his mouth was back on Guan Shan’s dick. That second time, though, the difference was that while He Tian’s tongue traced every single vein on Guan Shan’s dick, and his throat squeezed Guan Shan’s head just right, He Tian’s hands joined the party by holding the bottom part of the butt plug, thrusting it in and out of Guan Shan’s asshole.

He Tian was rewarded by long and shameless moans, followed by strings of shattered curses and mumbles of what could be understood as He Tian’s name – or one of the _lovely_ nicknames Guan Shan would call him every now and again. But it didn’t matter how slow He Tian’s mouth moved, or how his hands teased Guan Shan by moving the toy in a torturing pace, Guan Shan was on edge for too long, and before he could warn He Tian – or even control himself – his orgasm hit him like a truck and his body convulsed, spilling cum in He Tian’s throat and mouth while he whined and panted.

After Guan Shan came down from his high, he noticed He Tian hadn’t removed the tail from his ass, and that he had actually shoved it deep inside once more. It wasn’t enough to brush against his prostate and overstimulate him, but it was enough to make Guan Shan whimper every time his body moved. To his surprise, his body was moving quite a lot. That realization made Guan Shan open his eyes – that he had closed at some unknown point – and notice He Tian was carrying his limp body towards the bed.

“I’m not done with you.” He Tian said as he placed Guan Shan’s body gingerly on the fluffy and comfy bed. “And don’t look at me like that; you were the one who asked me to ruin you.” He Tian added as Guan Shan’s eyes widened a tiny bit, carrying a sly smirk on his lips. “And I’ll do my worst.”

“ _Fuck_.” Guan Shan cursed under his breath, observing as He Tian left the bedroom area and disappeared, coming back a few moments later with an even slyer smirk and a pair of gloves.

“That’s my plan.” He Tian said simply, holding the gloves Guan Shan was wearing moments later and messing with the retractile claws. “This is really well made.”

Guan Shan rolled his eyes upon He Tian’s obvious comment, while he tried to ignore how even his breathing movement made the tail shift, and in consequence the buttplug buried inside his ass. He was trying to hold his whimpers as He Tian decided what he wanted to do, seemingly playing with Guan Shan’s mind until he had a boner again. Not that it would take long, though. With the way He Tian looked at Guan Shan with the corner of his eyes and the buttplug moved inside his ass, Guan Shan knew he would have an erection in minutes from now.

“They don’t seem to hurt.” He Tian commented after trying one of the claws on his skin, and after making up his mind he sat beside Guan Shan on the bed – the shifting of the mattress making the plug press just right and Guan Shan let out a breathy moan. He Tian probably heard it, but he didn’t comment on it, only grabbing Guan Shan’s hands one by one and dressing them with the gloves he had just taken off.

“You want me to claw you?” Guan Shan was slightly surprised, but he didn’t want to show it so he just closed his eyes and hid his face behind one of his – now – gloved hands.

“Yes.” He Tian answered as he grabbed Guan Shan’s hand and removed it from the front of his face. “Just like you did when you were a kitty.” And before Guan Shan could complain about how He Tian was treating him, He Tian claimed his lips on a slow paced kiss, taking his time to intertwine his tongue with Guan Shan’s until the angle wasn’t good enough and they would part to adjust, but only to go back to it again.

As they kissed, He Tian’s hands roamed, feeling Guan Shan’s body the same way he had done just moments earlier. His touch was light and caring, treating Guan Shan as the finest crystal, as he would break if not handled cautiously. Guan Shan – knowing too well he was the one to ask for it – could only submit to He Tian’s hands and whimper on his mouth, feeling like ripping He Tian’s clothes off of him and asking He Tian to fuck him hard and deep, but doing nothing for it to happen.

When He Tian’s hand made its way down and circled Guan Shan’s dick, Guan Shan’s brain short-circuited for a second and he stopped responding to the kiss, only drowning in the feelings of He Tian’s hand slow and tortuous pumping motion, as well as He Tian’s tongue playing with his inside his mouth as Guan Shan surrendered completely, letting his foggy mind take over.

“I missed you so much.” He Tian mumbled after parting their lips, his right hand leaving Guan Shan’s cock and traveling lower, accompanied by his left and caressing Guan Shan’s thighs, knees, calves and ankles.

At this point Guan Shan knew that if he tried to say something, he brain would betray him midway and the only things leaving his mouth would be long moans, so he refrained from saying anything and just felt. He just felt as He Tian’s mouth pampered his neck and collarbone with butterfly kisses. He just felt as He Tian’s kisses were lowered, covering his chest, and then his stomach, his navel and pelvis. He just felt as He Tian’s kisses spoiled his thighs, knees and shins.

“I thought you’d be screaming at me to get on with it by now.” He Tian chuckled when he didn’t get a glare from Guan Shan as a response. “Can I keep taking it slow?” He asked and he only saw Guan Shan’s nod because he was looking for it, because it surely was subtle.

He Tian then stood up beside the bed, looking at Guan Shan’s hooded eyes as his index and thumb worked on the tie’s knot, loosening it until it just slid down his body, pooled by his feet. He Tian’s fingers then worked on his dress shirt buttons, undoing them one by one with patience, even though he could feel Guan Shan’s eyes drilling holes on his skin. The shirt also slid down his body, first uncovering the broad shoulders, then the lean arms, followed by the sculpted torso, only to finally join the tie on the floor. The belt was next, getting out of He Tian’s slacks loop by loop until He Tian just dropped it. Then the slacks, that just fell when the button and zipper were opened. And as He Tian removed his last pieces of clothing, he felt the hunger on Guan Shan’s stare.

“What do you want?” He Tian teased as he stepped out of the pile of clothing, his knee sinking on the fluffy bed as he climbed it.

Guan Shan, like He Tian would have guessed, didn’t answer with words, but with actions instead – he was always a doer rather than a speaker. He raised his body, this time not trying to hold back the moan when he felt the buttplug being buried even deeper with his change of position, and outstretched his right hand, grabbing He Tian by the nape and bringing their bodies closer, sinking the claws on him in the process. Their lips clashed and it hurt, but they didn’t care. All they cared about was how their bodies slotted perfectly against one another and how their hard cocks moved against each other, causing the perfect friction.

But, of course, that wasn’t nearly as enough. So Guan Shan’s gloved hands clawed He Tian’s nape and shoulder blades, pushing He Tian onto the bed as their mouths re-did the same motions they knew by heart. And when He Tian was finally mostly lying down on the bed – except for his back against the headboard – Guan Shan started repeating He Tian’s motion, going down his body and showering him with kisses and cat-like licks, feeling He Tian’s skin tremble and his breath hitch.

When Guan Shan had his face leveled with He Tian’s cock, He Tian thought about complaining and telling Guan Shan how he wanted to make all of this about Guan Shan, and not about him. However, before he could voice any complaints, Guan Shan’s hand was guiding He Tian’s own to his hole, where he made it clear he wanted He Tian playing with the buttplug as Guan Shan played with his dick.

So He Tian complied, and as Guan Shan lapped his tongue all over his dick, covering it in saliva, he pumped the toy in and out of Guan Shan’s hole slowly. It was only when Guan Shan took He Tian’s dick in his mouth, swallowing him whole, that He Tian picked up the pace, feeling the vibrations coming from Guan Shan’s throat on the head of his cock, sending jolts of pleasure all over his body. He Tian knew that if Guan Shan kept taking his dick so well like this, he wouldn’t last long.

The only reason that made He Tian think _fuck it_ and not stop, though, was the fact that he saw Guan Shan’s left hand – that had somehow lost the glove – moving at the same pace his tongue and He Tian’s hand moved, pumping his cock as he swallowed He Tian and He Tian fucked him with the tail. Because of course Guan Shan wouldn’t be only getting He Tian off, of course Guan Shan would make it extra sexy and would get himself off as well. Of course Guan Shan would make He Tian bit his tongue in order not to yell Guan Shan’s name as he came hard and deep Guan Shan’s throat, just moments before Guan Shan soiled the white sheets with his cum.

“You still sure I am the kinky little shit?” He Tian repeated the question from ages ago between pants, smiling when he saw that well-known smug expression take over Guan Shan’s face.

“Why not both of us?” Guan Shan retorted.

“Of course, how silly of me.” He Tian agreed, readjusting his breath as Guan Shan lay down beside him, closing his eyes. “Nah-ah.” He Tian shook Guan Shan’s shoulder, making him open his eyes slightly. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”

“What I want?” Guan Shan echoed. “I thought I had already said I wanted you to ruin me.”

“You have, but I do know there’s something you’re still hiding.” He Tian argued, grabbing Guan Shan’s body and maneuvering him until he was sitting right on He Tian’s lap. (Guan Shan would be lying if he said he still wasn’t surprised of how strong He Tian was and how easily he could move Guan Shan’s body around. He would also be lying if he said that didn’t turn him on). “Tell me.”

“Mm, I wonder.” Guan Shan licked his lips and rolled his hips downwards, feeling He Tian shiver and the toy shift. “Maybe I just want you to do what you were doing before.” He added, making sure to keep rolling his hips to make his point straight. “Maybe I just want you to take your sweet time.” He could feel He Tian was starting to get hard again, and so was he. “Maybe I just want you to drive me to the point of begging.” He finished, placing He Tian’s hands on his hips as they kept moving, and placing his own hands on He Tian’s chest, scratching it lightly with the retractile claws and his short nails.

“Your wish,” He Tian said as he – finally – moved his hips upwards, meeting Guan Shan’s motion halfway, “is my fucking command.” And the curse made Guan Shan groan, knowing well He Tian wasn’t one to cuss.

After a few more thrusts up, He Tian lost some of his cool and rolled their bodies, pinning Guan Shan against the bed. His mouth assaulted Guan Shan’s, but before he could move his hands much further, He Tian remembered a very important detail: he had left the condoms in his bag, which was still sitting on the living room area, by the little loveseat.

“Hold on a sec.” He Tian mumbled, trying not to give in to Guan Shan’s lips chasing his and getting the item as fast as he could. Before Guan Shan could complain the loss of contact, He Tian was already back, pressing their bodies together and kissing his – now – plump lips.

Without leaving Guan Shan’s mouth, He Tian lowered his hand back to Guan Shan’s ass and removed the tail, throwing it somewhere in the room. His hand then made quick work of the lube’s bottle cap and opened it, coating three of He Tian’s fingers with the slick substance. His three fingers penetrated Guan Shan at once, since he was already stretched, and He Tian moved them slowly, curling them as he sought for the place that would make Guan Shan see stars.

But instead of torturing Guan Shan with a constant pressure on his prostrate, He Tian removed his fingers right after the first pound against it, deciding it would be better – for both of them – if He Tian did it with his dick instead. So after rolling a condom on his cock and lubing it up, He Tian slowly filled Guan Shan’s hole to the brim, kissing Guan Shan – they had parted at some point – as his hips rolled forwards.

Thrust by thrust Guan Shan lost his capability to think and talk. He Tian knew his body too well and the tip of He Tian’s cock brushed against his prostate with every roll of hips, but still it wasn’t enough. It was only enough – enough to make Guan Shan throw his head back and moan as his eyes rolled – when He Tian grabbed Guan Shan’s legs one by one, hooking them over his shoulders. It was only them that Guan Shan could feel He Tian’s tip press hard against his sweet spot, making him unable to control his mouth and volume.

And for the first many minutes, He Tian didn’t pick up the pace. He instead just kept rolling his hips slowly, nailing Guan Shan’s prostrate as the latter tried to ask for more but couldn’t, too lost in pleasure to do something other than moan and cry. Before Guan Shan could control himself, the torturing slow pace made tears streak down his cheeks, in a silent plead for He Tian to speed up and make him cum.

When He Tian saw Guan Shan’s despair, the tears tainting his pleasure covered face, he got the memo and started thrusting faster and harder. And with each thrust, Guan Shan would scream and groan, somehow finding his words and telling He Tian to keep going, _faster, harder, fuck I’m so fucking close, don’t stop_ , and in the middle of one of his pleads, Guan Shan came, harder than one would think, since it was his third time coming this night. He Tian followed a few thrusts later, unable to hold his orgasm anymore and just surrendering to the tight heat of Guan Shan’s clenching ass.

* * *

 

“Fuck.” Guan Shan whispered long minutes later, after he was already cleaned and the soiled panties discarded on the bathroom’s sink.

“You okay?” He Tian asked, turning his body to face Guan Shan, who looked straight at the ceiling.

“I missed you too.” Guan Shan said instead, his head turning to look at He Tian’s happy expression. “A lot.”

“It’s only one more year, Little Mo.” He Tian mumbled, shifting closer and laying his head on Guan Shan’s chest, as Guan Shan idly brushed his fingers through He Tian’s hair. “I’ll come back after I graduate, no matter how much my father complains.”

Guan Shan chuckled at He Tian’s bratness.

“Do you hate it that much?” He caught himself asking before thinking. “Working with your father, I mean.”

“You can read me like an open book.” He Tian scoffed. “You know I like it, that the danger makes everything better.” He sighed and tilted his head upwards, looking at Guan Shan. “What I hate is being apart.”

“I do.” Guan Shan confirmed. “Why don’t you stay there, then?” And then he offered, making He Tian’s eyes widen as if he couldn’t believe what Guan Shan had said.

“But staying there means I’ll be away from you, I don’t want any more of that.”

“I know you don’t, and neither do I.” Guan Shan muttered and before He Tian could say something, he shut him with a peck. “What I mean is…” Guan Shan hesitated, seeing how He Tian tried to guess what he would say. “What if I go to the US instead? You know, after I graduate.”

“You wanna go there?” He Tian asked, really wanting to believe what he had heard. “But when I asked you if you wanted to come with me back then you said you couldn’t leave your mom alone.”

“And I really couldn’t.” Guan Shan explained. “The circumstances changed.”

“How so?”

“My mom won’t be alone even if I leave.” Guan Shan’s soft smile was more than enough to make He Tian know what he was talking about, but he still wanted to hear it from Guan Shan. “My dad is getting out of jail.”

“When were you gonna tell me?”

“Tomorrow when you called.”

“Parole?”

“Better.” Guan Shan’s smiled widened. “Jian Yi managed to track down one of the dudes involved with the restaurant incident and we ended up finding out the dude has a huge criminal history.” He raised his body a little, wincing from the soreness. “We managed to make him point all of the involved if he got at least partial immunity. And with all of the information he gave away, it was proved my dad was innocent.”

“When is he getting out of jail?”

“Tomorrow, probably.”

“That quick?”

“Stuff has been going on for a while.” Guan Shan kept smiling, even though He Tian’s expression was suspicious. “I asked Jian Yi not to mention anything until it was certain my dad was getting free.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to surprise you telling you I was moving to the US after graduation.”

“What happened to the ‘ _what if_ ’?” He Tian asked, still confused.

“I already have a research project for my master’s degree.” Guan Shan confessed. “It was actually already decided before I talked to you.”

“You prepared this all on your own?”

“Not really.” Guan Shan shrugged. “I learned to accept help over the years. Jian Yi was the one who helped me the most.”

“We owe him a lot, huh.” He Tian mumbled, laying his head on Guan Shan’s shoulder once more.

“Not really.” Guan Shan chuckled. “Jian Yi is not this kind of person.”

“Right, he’s a nice one.” He Tian agreed. “But where are you moving to?”

“New York.” He Tian didn’t even need to see Guan Shan’s face to know he carried a smug expression. Sly little fox.

“You planned everything.” He Tian scoffed.

“I had to, so at least once in my life I wouldn’t depend on you.”

“You sly little fox.” He Tian spoke his thoughts, again looking at Guan Shan.

“No,” Guan Shan smiled, bringing their faces closer, “not fox.” He denied, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Cat.”

And well, with the way He Tian was kissed by Guan Shan he knew they would be going for the second round way earlier than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was it kinky enough? Or maybe was it too kinky? Or maybe it wasn't as kinky as you wished?
> 
> Anyway, don't be shy and show me some love (or hate, I don't know) through the comments, they make me a better person <3
> 
> And see ya next chapter, which is the last.
> 
> I'm sad...
> 
> Anyway, Pops' Out~


	12. Extra 02 - Maybe Furever does exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fairy tale-like ending to a fairy tail-like beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here: the ending.
> 
> Extra-coated in sugar w/ The Little Prince references just because I can.
> 
> I hope you lovely people like it <3
> 
> Onto the chapter~

Just as promised, two weeks into August, Guan Shan moved to the United States of America. He had told He Tian it was okay, that he could manage everything on his own and that He Tian didn’t need to come all the way to China to help, but everybody at that point knew how He Tian was. So yes, He Tian traveled to China to help his boyfriend organize his clothes and some other belongings so they could go back to the USA together, but not only that. Of course not.

He Tian also took advantage of it to finally meet Guan Shan’s father – because Guan Shan hadn’t let him through the course of the year –, and even though Guan Shan had already broken the news of his relationship to his dad a few years prior in one of his many visits to the prison his dad was in, the real thing was way weirder and more awkward than any of them could guess. Yes, Guan Shan’s father didn’t really like the fact of his son dating another man, but He Tian could see how sweet it was that Mr. Mo was actually trying to accept it, and yes, he was awkward and weirded out, but at least he was never rude.

To He Tian’s demise, Guan Shan refused to live in the same apartment as him, which lead to Guan Shan living in the least expensive place he could choose – the University’s dorms. At least as a Master’s student he had a room of his own and although he did need to deal with neighbors, he didn’t need to deal with roommates. When He Tian asked why, Guan Shan was reasonable enough to tell him it would be good to have the experience of living alone at least for one year and that He Tian – which was taken as the utmost compliment of his life – was just going to be a distraction while Guan Shan had to focus on his research and dissertation.

This one year, as all of them noticed, actually became seven. Two years dealing with his master’s degree and another four dealing with his PhD. Well, not that he spent all those six years living in a smelly dorm room surrounded by too young and too loud college students, god no. That was only for the first year, since in the second Guan Shan got a job at this respectable high school – Guan Shan, a teacher, yes you may laugh now – and as soon as he had enough money, he moved to a decent apartment.

One year after Mr. Mo became Dr. Mo, he was accepted as a substitute professor at the same University he had done his master’s and PhD – and the one He Tian had graduated from. After becoming substitute professor, Guan Shan saw himself crashing at He Tian’s place, or vice versa, much more frequently than the prior years, and before Guan Shan could fight against it, he was moving in with He Tian.

Still, even though they were living together and had at least breakfast together, both Guan Shan and He Tian’s schedules were full to the brim with activities, so it was quite rare for them to have lunch or dinner at the same time, which meant they only saw each other late at night and early in the morning. But it wasn’t like any of them could do anything about it. He Tian was slowly climbing the ladder to become a boss himself and Guan Shan had to keep his head down and accept being treated as an almost-slave if he wanted to become a tenured professor.

It was only after four years of madness that Guan Shan finally got his job – for life, he was so happy – and finally felt like it was time to take a step further.

He was 32.

* * *

“You guys serious?” Jian Yi asked in disbelief, the beer glass he was nursing almost falling on the table and causing a wet disaster.

“Why would we joke about it?” Guan Shan rolled his eyes. Yes, being a teacher and then a professor had done wonders to his patience, but Jian Yi was still Jian Yi and they knew each other for over fifteen years, so Guan Shan was allowed to roll his eyes.

“I don’t know?” Jian Yi retorted, defensive. “That’s huge, though!” He then clapped his hand on the glass, his bright smile blinding any unprepared soul who looked at him. Because it didn’t matter if Jian Yi was fifteen or thirty-two, his smile was still the brightest.

“Congratulations.” Zheng Xi said after taking a noncommittal sip, the bitter taste of the beer lingering on his tongue. “Any other shocking news?”

“I wouldn’t say news.” He Tian shrugged. “But I’d like to ask if Jian Yi wants to be my best-man.”

That time the glass did fall on the table causing a wet disaster.

“And if Zheng Xi would like to be mine.” Guan Shan added.

Make that two glasses and double the wet disaster.

“Oh my god! Oh my god!” Jian Yi chanted happily as the poor confused waitress – since they were talking in Chinese – cleaned the table. “Of course I want to! I’d love to!”

“Same.” Zheng Xi’s head nodded in agreement and soon they were sitting at the table again, ordering two more glasses of beer.

“But do tell me,” Jian Yi snickered and Guan Shan knew he probably wouldn’t like the question, “how did you propose?” He asked to He Tian.

“Well, you see…”

* * *

 

_Some days are hard for Guan Shan and I to actually meet at home to have lunch together, so every now and then we grab a bite at this really sweet restaurant close to the campus. It’s kind of annoying because the place is always packed with college students, especially on Fridays, when they have more money to spend, but the food is really good and we both like the mood there, you know?_

_So a few weeks ago, yes Jian Yi stop glaring at me because I know I didn’t tell you the day it happened and oh my god Zheng Xi can you make him shut up? We decided to tell you two in person since you were coming to visit us, so stop whining will ya? As I was saying, a few weeks ago we were actually having dinner at this place and it was more crowded than usual. And when I say that it was more crowded, I’m not kidding, it was packing with people; there was even a waiting line, for tables and stuff._

_Luckily we got there before it started packing with people, so that’s nice, but it was still too many people, I could feel Guan Shan’s discomfort from miles, later on I found out his discomfort wasn’t really because of the amount of people, but rather who they were. Anyway, we had just ordered our food and Guan Shan had been greeted by at least ten students of his, and honestly that was the day I found out how Guan Shan is oddly popular among his students. Don’t look at me babe, you know I thought they hated you. And it’s actually the opposite; according to some of them Guan Shan is the best professor they’ve ever had. I’d be lying if that didn’t make me proud._

_Ouch, don’t hit me. I mean, seriously, if we turn to any of our middle or high school classmates and tell them that you not only became a professor, but that your students love you, would they believe? That’s what I thought. It’s a surprise, yeah, but good surprise, great actually._

_Anyway, I’m digressing._

_So yeah, it was my first time seeing any of Guan Shan’s students, and boy like ten in a row? So I was kind of suspicious but I really couldn’t really grasp what my suspicion was about. Which made me just accept the fact and try to decide if I’d go for the usual dish or if I’d change my pick that night._

_A few minutes later, thank god that place has a super fast serving time, this kind little waitress that always serves us puts our plates on the table and as we start to eat, I see that there’s one of those college students, one of Guan Shan’s students, sitting on a bar stool that is on a little stage with a guitar in hands. I wouldn’t mind eating while listening to good music and the kid looked like he had good taste, so I just stopped paying attention to the kid and started paying attention to my food._

_The thing is, the damn song that this one boy decided to play was the same one Guan Shan had played to me a bunch of years ago when I got him that guitar. I mean, with internet and how old things tend to be forgotten so easily nowadays, I was surprised someone who was what, eighteen or something even knew this song. It was a song that was famous what? When this dude was two?_

_But yeah, I got surprised and looked to Guan Shan to see if he was as surprised as I was, because he had to be. Yes, Jian Yi, I know you’re smart so please stop interrupting me with guesses of what happened because you’re the one who asked. Yes, yes, Guan Shan wasn’t even a little surprised. It was one of those times when I noticed why Guan Shan hates it when I’m cocky because damn that smug smile of yours, yes_ that one _Guan Shan, really pissed me off._

_I didn’t really get to be pissed off for a long time though, because before I could complain and tell him he was doing what I usually did and come on I was the cocky one in the relationship, not him, he pointed at this little velvet box that was just sitting beside my glass of water. And you know, anyone who has an IQ over 20 knows what a velvet box means, but I short-circuited, I don’t know._

_Guan Shan has this power over me; he can rend me speechless really easily. And yes, it does piss me off. Details, though._

_So I grabbed the box and opened it, and inside it there were two gold bands, and boy they were thick. I mean, you know they are thick because by now you must have noticed we are wearing them. And yeah, my brain was still trying to catch up and I only really realized what that all meant when I saw there were our names on the inner side of the bands, with the date I asked Guan Shan to start dating me. I didn’t even know he remembered it, since we aren’t ones to actually do stuff on anniversary or things like that._

* * *

 

“And before saying yes I bitched about how I was planning on proposing at this fancy restaurant Guan Shan pretends he hates but he actually loves, and how he beat me to it and how much sweeter than what I had planned it was.”

“For I moment I thought he would say no just so he could be the one proposing.” Guan Shan commented and Jian Yi cackled.

“You think he’s kidding?” He Tian asked. “I thought really seriously about it.” He added, serious. “But I love Guan Shan and his proposal was much cuter than mine so I decided to go with it.”

“And then, what happened when you said yes or whatever?” Jian Yi’s eyes twinkled.

“I found out that there were more than just ten of Guan Shan’s students in the restaurant and that the one playing the song did it because Guan Shan asked him to and he was the one to leak the information to the other students and they all congratulated us.”

“It was hell.” Guan Shan’s head dropped to the table, his ears pink in embarrassment. “I don’t wanna go through that ever again.”

“If it depends on me, _Little Mo_ , you won’t have to.” He Tian winked and even though Guan Shan was still with his head down, he groaned.

“So, when and where is gonna be the ceremony?” Jian Yi then decided it was better to talk about something that wasn’t the proposal, but the wedding instead.

* * *

 

After hours talking to Zheng Xi and Jian Yi about both the wedding and other things going on their lives, pretty much ignoring the glares the waiters were giving them at the restaurant for taking up a lot of space and making them really embarrassed when the four men gave great tips, He Tian and Guan Shan were finally home.

It was one of those rare days when He Tian could stay away from the office and Guan Shan didn’t really need to go to the campus, one of those rare days they used to enjoy each other’s company.

He Tian was chilling on the couch, legs propped on the coffee table and his fingers idly going through something on his phone, while Guan Shan was lying on the same couch, calves resting on He Tian’s thighs. He was so lost on scrolling something on his phone and drawing circle patterns on Guan Shan’s shin that he didn’t notice when Guan Shan shifted, from either discomfort or something else.

“Is there something wrong?” He Tian eventually asked, a few minutes into Guan Shan changing his position on the couch over and over.

“Hold on.” Guan Shan mumbled, turning his body around and laying his head on He Tian’s lap, he then proceeded to take He Tian’s free hand and place it on his head, while he went back to the book he was reading.

“You really like it when I pet you, huh.” He Tian said in fake mock, since his voice was much sweeter and fonder than usual. His hand caressed Guan Shan’s soft and short red hair, twirling longer strands when he could.

“Hm.” Guan Shan hummed, clearly more focused on whatever he was reading than what He Tian was saying.

“What if I said no, then?” He Tian joked. “What if I stopped and said I won’t pet you anymore.”

“I’d argue.” Guan Shan answered, not bothered even a bit.

“Yeah, and what would be your prime argument?”

“That you brought this to yourself.” Guan Shan closed the book, but still with a thumb marking the page he was on, and looked at He Tian. “You know, you become responsible, forever, for what you’ve tamed.”

“You…” He Tian’s mouth gaped. “Fuck.”

“What?” Guan Shan asked, his small eyes getting smaller as his cheeks pressed upwards in a sly smile.

“I have to agree, that’s a hella good argument.”

“Told ya so.”

They stayed there for another few minutes, He Tian’s hand still on Guan Shan’s head as he read the book. He Tian, too focused on this one news he’d just received, didn’t notice as Guan Shan’s soft smile slowly died, and his hands faltered, dropping the book on his chest and looking at He Tian’s serious expression instead.

“I was thinking…” Guan Shan muttered, getting He Tian’s attention back. “Are we still gonna live here after we get married?”

“Do you want to?” He Tian retorted, unsure of what Guan Shan wanted with this sort of conversation. It was a good apartment, big and comfortable, he didn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to live there.

“I don’t know.” Guan Shan shrugged, raising his body and taking a sitting position, facing He Tian. “I mean, we already live together and basically the only thing that’s gonna change when we get married is how the government sees us, I guess.”

“You won’t take my last name?” He Tian feigned hurt, putting his hand on his chest.

“Fuck off, I like Mo, thank you very much.” He rolled his eyes, punching He Tian lightly on the shoulder. “Anyway, if we move, I don’t know, maybe it can be a bigger change?”

“Well, yes.” He Tian leaned his elbow on the backrest of the couch, agreeing with Guan Shan with a nod. “Where would you like to live, though?”

“That’s not something for me to decide, He Tian.” Guan Shan’s back downed on the couch and he looked upwards. “We need to decide it together, we’re both living there, wherever it is.”

“Fair point, but if you brought this up, it means you at least have something in mind, don’t ya?”

“I mean,” Guan Shan stuttered, his face turning to take a look at He Tian’s once more, “I’d like to live in a house.”

“A house?” He Tian asked, incredulous. “Like in the suburbs?”

“It doesn’t have to necessarily be in the suburbs.” Guan Shan retorted. “But I guess it would be nice? I mean, there would be a lot of space and…” Guan Shan’s voice got lower and lower as he realized what he was about to say, until it finally died out.

“And?” He Tian pressed. “You’re beating around the bush, Little Mo, come on, tell me what you’re thinking.”

“It’s dumb.” He muttered, his face hidden under his palms.

“Let me be the judge of it.” He Tian argued. “Come on, it can’t be that dumb.”

“Okay, so I’m gonna ask ya a question and I want an honest answer without any judgment.”

“Hit me up.”

“You do know what kind of people usually live in the suburbs, right?” And there was Guan Shan beating around the bush again.

“Yeah, of course, families and st–” He Tian started saying, but as his brain caught up he noticed where Guan Shan’s conversation was headed. “You want kids?”

“I mean,” Guan Shan cringed, sinking even deeper in the couch, if that was possible, “you have a brother, and your brother have children; I don’t have any siblings.”

“But don’t you like, hate kids?”

“I used to, but, argh,” Guan Shan groaned, “I won’t lie, mom asked me if we were ever thinking about marriage and children and when I stopped to actually think about it,” he sighed, “I realized I actually want it, you know? Adopt a kid, raise them with you, watch them grow and hopefully not follow the same path as you.”

The last time He Tian’s heart beat that fast, was when Guan Shan asked his hand in marriage. He Tian wasn’t the kind of person to get overly emotional and his body would rarely show any signs of it, but Guan Shan could get him off guard like a champion, and that situation was one of those.

It was the same with He Tian. He had a nephew and he liked the kid – since after of years all of the misunderstandings with his brother had been cleared and they rebuilt their relationship – but he had never thought about having a kid of his own. However, once Guan Shan mentioned this deep desire and the things he imagined, He Tian couldn’t help but to imagine it as well. A little kid running in the suburbs, learning how to ride a bike and playing with a dog, swinging and smiling and filling their rather empty house with joy and laughter.

Indeed, it was a pleasant thought.

“Your smile is really creepy right now.” Guan Shan commented, waking He Tian up from his day dream. “Watcha thinking?”

“Just that it is actually a good idea.” He Tian’s smile widened. “I really good idea.”

“You mean it?” Guan Shan raised his body fully from the couch, a glint in his eyes that could only mean hope. “You swear you’re not saying this to make me happy or whatever?”

“Guan Shan, am I the type of person who would do something basically because it would make you happy?” He Tian asked, a brow raised.

“It depends on the thing.” Guan Shan retorted.

“Fair.” He huffed. “But would I, the person whose father is a mafia big fish and is buried to the neck in illegal stuff, adopt a kid just to make my spouse happy?”

“Okay, got it.” Guan Shan reasoned. “But either way, this isn’t something immediate.” He shrugged. “Maybe in a few years.”

“You call the shots, Little Mo.” He Tian smiled and brought Guan Shan closer by his waist. “Let’s just focus on one thing at a time, ok?”

And after Guan Shan nodded, he dove in for a kiss. Or a hundred.

* * *

 

House hunting with Guan Shan was actually something easier to do than He Tian had initially expected. Guan Shan didn’t really have many demands, only that the house had a big kitchen. He Tian ended up being the annoying one, picky with the size of the yard or the amount of bedrooms or if the house flooring was wood or carpet.

Guan Shan only rolled his eyes and followed suit, and after a long day of house hunting and legs that would possibly hurt for days – they weren’t used to walking that much – both of them found this cozy house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a huge tree in the backyard that was just the perfect thing they were looking for. And surprisingly, it wasn’t that far from the campus, and although it was rather far from He Tian’s father’s building, He Tian didn’t give a single shit about it.

He would be late and his father would have to deal with it.

* * *

 

They had two wedding receptions.

The first one happened in China and was really small. The only guests were Guan Shan’s closest relatives, He Tian’s brother and his family – which somehow included Brother Qiu and with He Tian’s feeling that his brother’s marriage was just a sham, it only added to the suspicion of the true nature of their relationship –, Jian Yi and his mother, Zheng Xi and his family. In total, there were barely twenty people there.

It was a cute and short ceremony, which by the end had Guan Shan’s mother and Jian Yi wailing their eyes out, with handkerchiefs soaking wet of how much they had cried, and Guan Shan couldn’t feel happier about it. He even saw the glimpse of tears on He Tian’s eyes, but none of them said a thing, especially because Guan Shan himself had let at least two run astray down his cheeks.

The second one happened in the USA and most of the guests were from Guan Shan’s department and a few selected students that basically recorded the whole thing in their phones. This one was longer and fancier and Jian Yi made sure to tell everybody stories of when Guan Shan was a moody little teenager who wanted to beat He Tian for getting near him and look where it got him, boom, Guan Shan was marrying the guy.

That reception was loud and cheerful, with dancing music playing in the background after they exchanged their votes, which lead to a crowded makeshift dance floor where people from eighteen years old to sixty let loose and danced to the fast beat and the alcohol in their veins. Guan Shan decided that this one day would be the day he wouldn’t lie or try to hide anything, so he was the first one dancing, dragging He Tian with him and telling He Tian how much he was happy they were together.

How much he was happy for having let go of his fears and confessed to He Tian in that late March afternoon.

How much he was happy for letting He Tian smash down his walls and come in.

* * *

 

Their honeymoon was in Australia.

Jian Yi asked them why, almost falling down the chair from laughter when He Tian told him, with a straight face, that neither of them knew where they **really** wanted to go, so they just wrote three destinies each and drew. Jian Yi could hardly believe their honeymoon destiny was chosen by sheer luck.

It was a one-week trip that both of them enjoyed to the fullest – except for when they went to the zoo and they actually had one of those gigantic spiders and Guan Shan thought he would have a heart attack and _I never want to see a spider ever again in my life thank you very much_.

When they came back, He Tian blindfolded Guan Shan and took him to god-knows-where, which Guan Shan found out, when He Tian finally took off the blindfold, that it was a pet shelter. Upon seeing the loads of abandoned and stray animals there, Guan Shan remembered one of the late night talks he had with He Tian during their honeymoon, and how he told He Tian how nice would it be if they had a cat.

And a cat they got.

This one female kitty, quite scrawny and oddly sweet climbed Guan Shan’s lap and meowed at him when he let her down, only showing both Guan Shan and He Tian that she was the one and she would make a fuss if Guan Shan didn’t pick her. So they gave her the shots she needed and took her home, naming her ‘cat’ because Guan Shan was that lazy.

He Tian called her ‘Little Mo’ behind Guan Shan’s back, even though she was grey with big blue eyes.

Guan Shan actually knew about it, but never commented not to spoil He Tian’s fun.

* * *

 

A few months after their one year anniversary, it was finally Guan Shan’s time to blindfold He Tian.

He covered He Tian’s eyes with that satin cloth they sometimes used in the bedroom and put him sitting on the couch, asking him to wait patiently until Guan Shan was back. With his eyesight taken from him, He Tian had lost track of time so he wasn’t sure if Guan Shan was away for one minute or ten, but eventually he came back, and by the noises, He Tian was well aware that he wasn’t alone.

When the blindfold was taken off his eyes, He Tian was granted with a sight of Guan Shan holding a red leash that was connected to an equally red collar that was adorning the neck of a golden retriever.

He Tian smiled as he cried, looking at Guan Shan with that fond look that told him He Tian couldn’t believe Guan Shan remembered that story he had told him so many years prior, but he was happy he did nonetheless. That fond look that thanked Guan Shan for being who he is and for never giving up on He Tian, even when they went through hardships.

“He’s technically the grandson.” Guan Shan said, petting the dog’s ear and seeing his tail waggle like crazy. “You know, he’s actually from the same offspring from the one you rescued.” He Tian looked at Guan Shan in disbelief. “We had to wait because we didn’t want to transport him overseas when he was too young.”

“We?”

“He Cheng and I.” Guan Shan explained. “We both know how much you like dogs,” Guan Shan mimicked He Tian’s fond smile, “and we both also know how much she meant to you.”

He Tian wanted to say a thousand things to Guan Shan, thanking him and pampering him and telling him how perfect he is, but He Tian decided he would rather show it, since he was much better with his hands than with his words.

Later that night He Tian and Guan Shan ordered pizza and watched horror movies on Netflix, cozy against each other with a cat by Guan Shan’s feet and a dog by the coffee table, but somehow still thinking like something was missing.

Five months later that missing piece was found, as a little six-year-old girl crossed the yard fence, with Guan Shan holding her left hand while He Tian held her right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we can all huddle together and cry because it's over and we're going to miss it.
> 
> Or not, I don't know.
> 
> How did you feel reading it? And honestly, how did you feel about 1. the flashback and 2. the kid? This is something I was really unsure of, so I'd love to have you awesome ones commenting on that.
> 
> If you want to show me some love, please comment and kudo. If you don't want to show me some love, you can still comment LOL.
> 
> It was a lovely ride and I'll miss it, but fear nothing because I'll soon be coming back with none other than my CamBoy AU, because the author needed a good excuse to sneak smut in every single chapter.
> 
> Love you all <3
> 
> Pops' Out~


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